Journal Article

Chemoorganoautotrophic lifestyle of the anaerobic enrichment culture N47 growing on naphthalene

Voskuhl, Lisa, Kong, Yachao, Seitz, Christian, Meckenstock, Rainer U., Götz, Frederik, Hassoun, Mohamed, Eisenreich, Wolfgang, Heker, Isabelle, Erdmann, Isabell, Huber, Claudia

2025

Overview

In almost all respiratory organisms, organic substrates are degraded via catabolic processes to the central metabolite acetyl-CoA which is then oxidized to CO 2 for energy metabolism or used as a building block for anabolism. Most microorganisms have either the closed tricarboxylic acid cycle or the complete Wood-Ljungdahl-pathway for acetyl-CoA oxidation, but the sulfate-reducing, naphthalene-degrading culture N47 possesses both completely. Combining 13 C- labeled substrates and mass-specific GC-MS analysis of amino acids and fatty acids with enzyme activity assays suggests that N47 has a chemoorganoautotrophic metabolism degrading complex organic substrates such as naphthalene. Surprisingly, however, the biomass is mainly produced from acetyl-CoA generated de novo via CO 2 -fixation. This metabolism probably requires both a complete Wood-Ljungdahl pathway for acetyl-CoA oxidation and a reverse tricarboxylic acid cycle for CO 2 fixation. Based on genome analysis, this chemoorganoautotrophic metabolism seems to also occur in other sulfate-reducers and anaerobic ammonium-oxidizers.

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group,Nature Publishing Group UK,Nature Portfolio
• Subject: Acetyl Coenzyme A - metabolism / Amino acids / Anaerobiosis / Carbon dioxide / Carbon Dioxide - metabolism / Carbon dioxide fixation / Chemoautotrophic Growth / Citric acid / Citric Acid Cycle / Energy metabolism / Enrichment media / Enzymatic activity / Enzymes / Fatty acids / Genomic analysis / Metabolism / Metabolites / Naphthalene / Naphthalenes - metabolism / Oxidation / Oxidation-Reduction / Sulfate reduction / Tricarboxylic acid cycle