A defined artificial aerobic coculture pairing the marine methanotroph Methylocaldum marinum S8 with the non-methylotrophic acetate-utilizing bacterium Cupriavidus necator NBRC 102504. The coculture was used to test whether methane-derived metabolites excreted by M. marinum S8 can support a partner that is not a methylotroph. The system is DOE-relevant because it links methane oxidation to acetate-mediated growth of a bioproduction-relevant heterotroph, providing a model for methane-to-bioproduct community design.
Taxonomy
| Taxon | Ontology ID | Functional Roles | Abundance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Methylocaldum marinum S8 — ontology label: Methylocaldum marinum | NCBITaxon:1432792 · TaxonMech · TraitMech |
PRIMARY_DEGRADER
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N/A |
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| Cupriavidus necator NBRC 102504 | NCBITaxon:1218105 · TaxonMech · TraitMech |
CROSS_FEEDER
SECONDARY_FERMENTER
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COMMON |
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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.
Proposed Methanol-Independent Carbon Supply To Cupriavidus
CROSS_FEEDINGPARTIAL - growth of nonmethylotrophic Cupriavidus necator NBRC 102504 with methane-oxidizing Methylocaldum marinum S8 supports supply of carbon other than methanol under aerobic conditions. Acetate is a plausible candidate because S8 excretes it, but the abstract does not identify the compound actually transferred to Cupriavidus. The phrase about possibly using acetate refers to the separate Gela4 system, not this recipient.
Source Taxon: Methylocaldum marinum S8
Target Taxon: Cupriavidus necator NBRC 102504
Metabolites: methane (CHEBI:16183 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech), acetate (CHEBI:30089 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech)
Biological Processes:
- methane metabolic process (GO:0015947 · PathwayMech)
- acetate metabolic process (GO:0006083 · PathwayMech)
HYPOTHESIZED - nonmethanol carbon released by S8 could support Cupriavidus growth. Positive coculture growth supports this interpretation, but acetate identity, transfer rate, carryover controls and recipient-specific utilization are not resolved by the accessible abstract.
Evidence
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doi:10.1093/bbb/zbab150 - PARTIAL (IN_VITRO)"methanol-independent cross-feeding from M. marinum S8 under aerobic conditions"
Cupriavidus Growth in Aerobic S8 Coculture
Cupriavidus necator NBRC 102504 grew when cocultured with M. marinum S8 under aerobic conditions. This positive result supports methanol-independent cross-feeding to a nonmethylotrophic recipient, without establishing acetate as its sole or predominant substrate, a quantified production yield or reciprocal benefit.
Source Taxon: Methylocaldum marinum S8
Target Taxon: Cupriavidus necator NBRC 102504
Evidence
-
doi:10.1093/bbb/zbab150 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"could grow when cocultured with M. marinum S8"
Associated Datasets
| Dataset | Type | Repository | Accession |
|---|---|---|---|
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Methylocaldum marinum S8 genome assembly
NCBI genome assembly for the M. marinum S8 methanotroph. |
GENOMICS | OTHER | GCA_003584645.1 |
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Cupriavidus necator NBRC 102504 genome assembly
NCBI genome assembly for the C. necator NBRC 102504 partner. |
GENOMICS | OTHER | GCA_001598755.1 |
Knowledge gaps & discussions (1)
KNOWLEDGE_GAP OPEN Which S8-derived compounds support Cupriavidus under the tested aerobic conditions?
The oxygen-series abstract describes S8 alone and with Gela4: S8 excreted acetate at 3.5-6% and 20-31% O2. Its phosphoketolase/acetate-kinase transcripts nominate a production route, not a demonstrated Cupriavidus uptake pathway. Remove the cross-system oxygen-window node/arrow, retaining this context here. Public publisher abstract and Europe PMC abstract were read; full Methods and controls were unavailable. No claim that Cupriavidus itself was tested across both oxygen ranges. #1603 repairs the graph; #1606 retains non-graph acetate, roles and oxygen metadata.
Attaches to: ecological_interactions#Proposed Methanol-Independent Carbon Supply To Cupriavidus, ecological_interactions#Cupriavidus Growth in Aerobic S8 Coculture
External Resources
| Name | Repository | Resource ID |
|---|---|---|
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Exact-system primary publication - Methylocaldum/Cupriavidus cross-feeding
Primary article reporting acetate excretion by M. marinum S8 and growth of C. necator NBRC 102504 in the M. marinum S8 coculture. |
OTHER | doi:10.1093/bbb/zbab150 |
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Environmental Factors
| Factor | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Methanotrophic aerobic context | methane-oxidizing aerobic coculture | N/A |
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| Oxygen concentration regimes | 3.5-6 and 20-31 | percent O2 |
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Growth Media
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