Cyprus Copper Sulphide Bioleaching Consortium

Serially passaged SC3 enrichments on chalcopyrite and chalcocite showed different metagenomic community profiles, including differences between attached and planktonic fractions at eight weeks. The four named taxonomic groups are an aggregate view of the recovered organisms. These positive mineral-treatment and microhabitat observations support ecological selection, but the combined mineral-structure, dissolution and Fe-availability changes do not isolate Fe as the sole cause. Relative DNA profiles from pooled replicate samples and gene annotations do not directly measure each member's metabolic niche or flux.

Participating Taxa: Acidithiobacillus species, Leptospirillum ferrodiazotrophum, Rhodospirillales bacterium, Thermoplasmatales archaea

Metabolites: chalcopyrite (CHEBI:86202 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech), chalcocite (CHEBI:51114 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech), iron(2+) (CHEBI:29033 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech)

Evidence

• PMID:41381092 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
  "trends in abundance patterns were observed with mineralogy and surface-attached versus planktonic conditions"

The metagenomic analysis recovered twelve distinct putative plasmids, some encoding predicted metal-resistance, sulphur-metabolism or CRISPR-associated functions. Named participants represent the explicitly Acidithiobacillus- and Leptospirillum-associated subset, not every host or every listed function. Copper-resistance candidates on an Alphaproteobacteria-related plasmid are not assigned specifically to the canonical Rhodospirillales member or to archaea. Gene content and phylogenetic association do not demonstrate expression, host benefit, horizontal transfer or a plasmid-caused increase in bioleaching.

Participating Taxa: Acidithiobacillus species, Leptospirillum ferrodiazotrophum

Biological Processes:

• sulfur compound metabolic process (GO:0006790 · PathwayMech)

Evidence

• PMID:41381092 - SUPPORT (COMPUTATIONAL)
  "encoded metal resistance pathways, sulphur metabolic capacities and CRISPR-Cas loci"

HYPOTHESIZED - CRISPR spacers on Acidithiobacillus-associated Plasmid_56_509 match two unbinned Acidithiobacillus-like contigs containing conjugation-related genes. This supports a putative plasmid interference model in that host group. The source-only scope records the host-associated molecular capability, not a taxon-to-taxon competitive relationship. Sequence matches do not demonstrate target cleavage, blocked conjugation, plasmid exclusion, confirmed co-residence in a cell or reciprocal harm among the microbial members.

Source Taxon: Acidithiobacillus species

Evidence

• PMID:41381092 - PARTIAL (COMPUTATIONAL)
  "CRISPR spacers on an Acidithiobacillus plasmid targeted plasmid-borne conjugal transfer genes found in the same genus, likely belonging to another plasmid, evidence of intra-plasmid competition"