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Methanogenic Octadecene Degradation by Syntrophic Enrichment Culture from Brackish Sediments

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Abstract

A microbial enrichment culture from brackish sediments was able to grow on octadec-1-ene (an unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon) as sole source of carbon and energy, under methanogenic conditions. Octadecene degradation is stopped either when bromoethanesulfonic acid, a selective inhibitor of methanogenesis is introduced, or when hydrogen is introduced. In the presence of bromoethanesulfonic acid, the degradation is restored by the addition of a hydrogenotrophic sulfate-reducing microorganism with sulfate. Results of molecular biodiversity, which revealed the presence of bacteria as well as of acetoclastic and hydrogenotrophic methanogens, are consistent with a syntrophic degradation involving Bacteria and Archaea. This is the first demonstration of syntrophic alkene degradation by microbial communities, showing that syntrophy is more widespread than we could have thought so far. These results highlight the need for a better understanding of microbial interactions and their role in the organic-matter degradation in polluted environments.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Virgile Calvert, Michaël Pigache, and Zied Medfai for their technical help.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut Méditerranéen d’Océanologie, équipe Microbiologie Environnementale et Biotechnologie, Aix-Marseille Université, Polytech Marseille, Case 901, 13288, Marseille Cedex 09, France

    Agnès Hirschler-Réa & Laurence Casalot

  2. Aix-Marseille Université, Université du Sud Toulon-Var, CNRS/INSU, IRD, MIO, UM 110, 13288, Marseille Cedex 09, France

    Agnès Hirschler-Réa & Laurence Casalot

  3. Université du Sud Toulon-Var, CNRS/INSU, IRD, MIO, UM 110, 83957, La Garde cedex, France

    Agnès Hirschler-Réa & Laurence Casalot

  4. Equipe Environnement et Microbiologie, Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour, IPREM UMR CNRS 5254, IBEAS, BP 1155, 64013, Pau, France

    Cristiana Cravo-Laureau

  5. Aix-Marseille Université, IMBE, UMR 7263, UR-IRD 237, 13397, Marseille, France

    Robert Matheron

Authors
  1. Agnès Hirschler-Réa
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  2. Cristiana Cravo-Laureau
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  3. Laurence Casalot
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  4. Robert Matheron
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Correspondence to Agnès Hirschler-Réa.

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Hirschler-Réa, A., Cravo-Laureau, C., Casalot, L. et al. Methanogenic Octadecene Degradation by Syntrophic Enrichment Culture from Brackish Sediments. Curr Microbiol 65, 561–567 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-012-0195-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-012-0195-3

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