RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Novel and unexpected genetic and microbial diversity for arsenic cycling in deep sea cold seep sediments
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2022.11.20.517286
DO 10.1101/2022.11.20.517286
A1 Chuwen Zhang
A1 Xinyue Liu
A1 Ling-Dong Shi
A1 Jiwei Li
A1 Xi Xiao
A1 Zongze Shao
A1 Xiyang Dong
YR 2022
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2022/11/21/2022.11.20.517286.abstract
AB Cold seeps, where cold hydrocarbon-rich fluid escapes from the seafloor, showed strong enrichment of toxic metalloid arsenic (As). The toxicity and mobility of As can be greatly altered by microbial processes that play an important role in global As biogeochemical cycling. However, a global overview of genes and microbes involved in As transformation at seeps remains to be fully unveiled. Using 87 sediment metagenomes and 33 metatranscriptomes derived from 13 globally distributed cold seeps, we show that As resistance genes (arsM, arsP, arsC1/arsC2, acr3) were prevalent at seeps and more phylogenetically diverse than previously expected. Asgardarchaeota and a variety of unidentified bacterial phyla (e.g. 4484-113, AABM5-125-24 and RBG-13-66-14) may also function as the key players in As transformation. The abundances of As-cycling genes and the compositions of As-associated microbiome shifted across different sediment depths or types of cold seep. The energy-conserving arsenate reduction or arsenite oxidation could impact biogeochemical cycling of carbon and nitrogen, via supporting carbon fixation, hydrocarbon degradation and nitrogen fixation. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive overview of As-cycling genes and microbes at As-enriched cold seeps, laying a solid foundation for further studies of As cycling in deep sea microbiome at the enzymatic and processual levels.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.