Methanotroph-methylotroph lipid adaptations to changing environmental conditions
Methanotrophs, in particular methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB), regulate the release of methane from lakes, and often co-occur with methylotrophs that may enhance methane-oxidation rates. Assessing the interaction and physiological status of these two microbial groups is essential for determining the...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-02-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Microbiology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1532719/full |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1825201940048379904 |
|---|---|
| author | Nora Richter Laura Villanueva Laura Villanueva Ellen C. Hopmans Nicole J. Bale Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté Darci Rush |
| author_facet | Nora Richter Laura Villanueva Laura Villanueva Ellen C. Hopmans Nicole J. Bale Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté Darci Rush |
| author_sort | Nora Richter |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Methanotrophs, in particular methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB), regulate the release of methane from lakes, and often co-occur with methylotrophs that may enhance methane-oxidation rates. Assessing the interaction and physiological status of these two microbial groups is essential for determining the microbial methane buffering capacity of environmental systems. Microbial membrane lipids are commonly used as taxonomic markers of specific microbial groups; however, few studies have characterized the changes of membrane lipids under different environmental conditions. For the case of methane-cycling microorganisms, this could be useful for determining their physiological status and potential methane buffering capacity. Here we investigated the changes in membrane lipids, bacteriohopanepolyols (BHPs) and respiratory quinones, produced by MOB and methylotrophs in an enrichment co-culture that primarily consists of a methanotroph (Methylobacter sp.) and a methylotroph (Methylotenera sp.) enriched from a freshwater lake under different methane concentrations, temperatures, and salinities. To assess whether the lipid response is similar in methanotrophs adapted to extreme environmental conditions, we also characterize the BHP composition and respiratory quinones of a psychrotolerant methanotroph, Methylovulum psychrotolerans, isolated from an Arctic freshwater lake and grown under different temperatures. Notably, in the Methylobacter-Methylotenera enrichment the relative abundance of the BHPs aminobacteriohopanepentol and aminobacteriohopanepolyols with additional modifications to the side chain increased at higher temperatures and salinities, respectively, whereas there was no change in the distribution of respiratory quinones. In contrast, in the Methylovulum psychrotolerans culture, the relative abundance of unsaturated BHPs increased and ubiquinone 8:8 (UQ8:8) decreased at lower temperatures. The distinct changes in lipid composition between the Methylobacter-Methylotenera enrichment and the psychrotolerant methanotroph at different growth temperatures and the ability of the Methylobacter-Methylotenera enrichment to grow at high salinities with a singular BHP distribution, suggests that methane-cycling microbes have unique lipid responses that enable them to grow even under high environmental stress. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bae1d2694f6444e6819904887f35a255 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1664-302X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Microbiology |
| spelling | doaj-art-bae1d2694f6444e6819904887f35a2552025-02-07T17:15:14ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2025-02-011610.3389/fmicb.2025.15327191532719Methanotroph-methylotroph lipid adaptations to changing environmental conditionsNora Richter0Laura Villanueva1Laura Villanueva2Ellen C. Hopmans3Nicole J. Bale4Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté5Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté6Darci Rush7Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Den Burg, NetherlandsDepartment of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Den Burg, NetherlandsDepartment of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, NetherlandsDepartment of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Den Burg, NetherlandsDepartment of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Den Burg, NetherlandsDepartment of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Den Burg, NetherlandsDepartment of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, NetherlandsDepartment of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Den Burg, NetherlandsMethanotrophs, in particular methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB), regulate the release of methane from lakes, and often co-occur with methylotrophs that may enhance methane-oxidation rates. Assessing the interaction and physiological status of these two microbial groups is essential for determining the microbial methane buffering capacity of environmental systems. Microbial membrane lipids are commonly used as taxonomic markers of specific microbial groups; however, few studies have characterized the changes of membrane lipids under different environmental conditions. For the case of methane-cycling microorganisms, this could be useful for determining their physiological status and potential methane buffering capacity. Here we investigated the changes in membrane lipids, bacteriohopanepolyols (BHPs) and respiratory quinones, produced by MOB and methylotrophs in an enrichment co-culture that primarily consists of a methanotroph (Methylobacter sp.) and a methylotroph (Methylotenera sp.) enriched from a freshwater lake under different methane concentrations, temperatures, and salinities. To assess whether the lipid response is similar in methanotrophs adapted to extreme environmental conditions, we also characterize the BHP composition and respiratory quinones of a psychrotolerant methanotroph, Methylovulum psychrotolerans, isolated from an Arctic freshwater lake and grown under different temperatures. Notably, in the Methylobacter-Methylotenera enrichment the relative abundance of the BHPs aminobacteriohopanepentol and aminobacteriohopanepolyols with additional modifications to the side chain increased at higher temperatures and salinities, respectively, whereas there was no change in the distribution of respiratory quinones. In contrast, in the Methylovulum psychrotolerans culture, the relative abundance of unsaturated BHPs increased and ubiquinone 8:8 (UQ8:8) decreased at lower temperatures. The distinct changes in lipid composition between the Methylobacter-Methylotenera enrichment and the psychrotolerant methanotroph at different growth temperatures and the ability of the Methylobacter-Methylotenera enrichment to grow at high salinities with a singular BHP distribution, suggests that methane-cycling microbes have unique lipid responses that enable them to grow even under high environmental stress.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1532719/fullbacteriohopanepolyolsmethane-oxidizing bacteriarespiratory quinonesmembrane lipidsmethylotroph |
| spellingShingle | Nora Richter Laura Villanueva Laura Villanueva Ellen C. Hopmans Nicole J. Bale Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté Darci Rush Methanotroph-methylotroph lipid adaptations to changing environmental conditions Frontiers in Microbiology bacteriohopanepolyols methane-oxidizing bacteria respiratory quinones membrane lipids methylotroph |
| title | Methanotroph-methylotroph lipid adaptations to changing environmental conditions |
| title_full | Methanotroph-methylotroph lipid adaptations to changing environmental conditions |
| title_fullStr | Methanotroph-methylotroph lipid adaptations to changing environmental conditions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Methanotroph-methylotroph lipid adaptations to changing environmental conditions |
| title_short | Methanotroph-methylotroph lipid adaptations to changing environmental conditions |
| title_sort | methanotroph methylotroph lipid adaptations to changing environmental conditions |
| topic | bacteriohopanepolyols methane-oxidizing bacteria respiratory quinones membrane lipids methylotroph |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1532719/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT norarichter methanotrophmethylotrophlipidadaptationstochangingenvironmentalconditions AT lauravillanueva methanotrophmethylotrophlipidadaptationstochangingenvironmentalconditions AT lauravillanueva methanotrophmethylotrophlipidadaptationstochangingenvironmentalconditions AT ellenchopmans methanotrophmethylotrophlipidadaptationstochangingenvironmentalconditions AT nicolejbale methanotrophmethylotrophlipidadaptationstochangingenvironmentalconditions AT jaapssinninghedamste methanotrophmethylotrophlipidadaptationstochangingenvironmentalconditions AT jaapssinninghedamste methanotrophmethylotrophlipidadaptationstochangingenvironmentalconditions AT darcirush methanotrophmethylotrophlipidadaptationstochangingenvironmentalconditions |