Marine syntrophic consortia of anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME) and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) that couple the anaerobic oxidation of methane to sulfate reduction in marine sediments. Sediment-free enrichment cultures of three consortium types (ANME-1/Desulfofervidus, ANME-2a/Seep-SRB1, and ANME-2a+2c/Seep-SRB1+2) exhibited high dry conductance close to that of electrogenic biofilms. Cyclic voltammetry revealed redox activity and generator-collector measurements showed electron transport over micrometer-scale distances, establishing that the symbiosis uses redox conduction (consistent with multiheme cytochrome c) for direct interspecies electron transport between the archaeal and bacterial partners.
Taxonomy
| Taxon | Ontology ID | Functional Roles | Abundance |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANME-1 (anaerobic methanotrophic archaea, clade 1) — ontology label: Candidatus Methanophagales | NCBITaxon:588814 · TaxonMech · TraitMech |
SYNTROPHIC_PARTNER
ELECTRON_DONOR
|
N/A |
|
|||
| Desulfofervidus (sulfate-reducing bacterial partner of ANME-1) — ontology label: Candidatus Desulfofervidus | NCBITaxon:1902583 · TaxonMech · TraitMech |
SYNTROPHIC_PARTNER
ELECTRON_ACCEPTOR
|
N/A |
|
|||
| ANME-2a (anaerobic methanotrophic archaea, clade 2a) — ontology label: ANME-2 cluster | NCBITaxon:588816 · TaxonMech · TraitMech |
SYNTROPHIC_PARTNER
ELECTRON_DONOR
|
N/A |
|
|||
| ANME-2c (anaerobic methanotrophic archaea, clade 2c) — ontology label: Candidatus Methanogaster | NCBITaxon:3386252 · TaxonMech · TraitMech |
SYNTROPHIC_PARTNER
ELECTRON_DONOR
|
N/A |
|
|||
| Seep-SRB1 (sulfate-reducing bacterial partner of ANME-2a) — ontology label: Desulfobacteraceae | NCBITaxon:213119 · TaxonMech · TraitMech |
SYNTROPHIC_PARTNER
ELECTRON_ACCEPTOR
|
N/A |
|
|||
| Seep-SRB2 (additional sulfate-reducing bacterial partner) — ontology label: Desulfobacterales | NCBITaxon:213118 · TaxonMech · TraitMech |
SYNTROPHIC_PARTNER
ELECTRON_ACCEPTOR
|
N/A |
|
|||
Ecological Interactions
The graph shows only explicitly linked interaction participants. Community members without an asserted participant link are omitted; membership alone does not imply an interaction.
ANME methane oxidation supplies syntrophic electrons
SYNTROPHYANME-1, ANME-2a, and ANME-2c archaea oxidize methane in sediment-free enrichments, supplying methane-derived electrons that are passed to their sulfate-reducing bacterial partners in each consortium type.
Participating Taxa: ANME-1 (anaerobic methanotrophic archaea, clade 1), ANME-2a (anaerobic methanotrophic archaea, clade 2a), ANME-2c (anaerobic methanotrophic archaea, clade 2c)
Metabolites: methane (CHEBI:16183 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech)
Biological Processes:
- methane metabolic process (GO:0015947 · PathwayMech)
Methane-derived electrons are conducted from ANME cells to SRB partners to support the interspecies syntrophy.
Evidence
-
PMID:40845095 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"Anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME) and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) form syntrophic partnerships in marine sediments to consume greenhouse gas methane "
-
PMID:40845095 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"methane-derived electrons are directly conducted from ANME to SRB to drive sulfate reduction "
Redox-Conduction Direct Interspecies Electron Transport
SYNTROPHYThe ANME/SRB aggregates use redox-conduction electron transfer, consistent with multiheme cytochrome c, to move electrons over micrometer-scale distances between methane-oxidizing archaeal cells and sulfate-reducing bacterial cells.
Participating Taxa: ANME-1 (anaerobic methanotrophic archaea, clade 1), Desulfofervidus (sulfate-reducing bacterial partner of ANME-1), ANME-2a (anaerobic methanotrophic archaea, clade 2a), ANME-2c (anaerobic methanotrophic archaea, clade 2c), Seep-SRB1 (sulfate-reducing bacterial partner of ANME-2a), Seep-SRB2 (additional sulfate-reducing bacterial partner)
Biological Processes:
- electron transport chain (GO:0022900 · PathwayMech)
Redox-conduction electron transfer links archaeal methane oxidation to SRB sulfate reduction in the sediment-free enrichments.
Evidence
-
PMID:40845095 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"Cyclic voltammetry revealed redox activity centered at 28 +/- 11, 94 +/- 6, and 24 +/- 7 millivolts for ANME-1/Desulfofervidus, ANME-2a/Seep-SRB1, and ANME-2a+2c/Seep-SRB1+2 consortia, respectively "
-
PMID:40845095 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"Generator-collector measurements further demonstrated that these redox components facilitate electron transport over micrometer-scale distances, sufficient to link archaeal and bacterial partners "
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PMID:40845095 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"marine ANME/SRB symbiosis uses redox conduction, consistent with multiheme cytochrome c, for direct interspecies electron transport "
SRB sulfate reduction accepts methane-derived electrons
SYNTROPHYDesulfofervidus, Seep-SRB1, and Seep-SRB2 sulfate-reducing bacterial partners receive electrons from adjacent ANME archaea and couple that electron flow to sulfate reduction in the ANME/SRB consortia.
Participating Taxa: Desulfofervidus (sulfate-reducing bacterial partner of ANME-1), Seep-SRB1 (sulfate-reducing bacterial partner of ANME-2a), Seep-SRB2 (additional sulfate-reducing bacterial partner)
Metabolites: sulfate (CHEBI:16189 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech)
Biological Processes:
- dissimilatory sulfate reduction (GO:0019420 · PathwayMech)
Evidence
-
PMID:40845095 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"ANME-1 partnered with sulfate-reducing Desulfofervidus (ANME-1/Desulfofervidus consortia) grown at 50°C, ANME-2a partnered with Seep-SRB1 (ANME-2a/Seep-SRB1 consortia) grown at 10°C, and ANME-2a and ANME-2c partnered with Seep-SRB1 and Seep-SRB2 grown at 20°C "
-
PMID:40845095 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"methane-derived electrons are directly conducted from ANME to SRB to drive sulfate reduction "
Growth Media
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