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Pelotomaculum-Methanocella Propionate RNA-Seq Coculture

Community ID CommunityMech:000190
Ecological State ENGINEERED
Environment anaerobic methanogenic laboratory coculture
ENVO:01001405

A defined anaerobic syntrophic coculture pairing the propionate-oxidizing bacterium Pelotomaculum thermopropionicum with the hydrogenotrophic methanogen Methanocella conradii. RNA-seq comparisons against monocultures showed coordinated transcriptional shifts in catabolism, methanogenesis, electron bifurcation/confurcation, formate handling, signal transduction, and amino acid exchange. The system is relevant to DOE interests in anaerobic carbon cycling, methane production, syntrophic propionate degradation, and transcriptome-guided bioreactor microbiology.

Taxonomy

Taxon Ontology ID Functional Roles Abundance
Pelotomaculum thermopropionicum NCBITaxon:110500
PRIMARY_DEGRADER SYNTROPHIC_PARTNER
N/A
  • PMID:30038609 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "propionate-oxidizing Pelotomaculum thermopropionicum"
  • PMID:30038609 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "methylmalonyl-CoA pathway in P. thermopropionicum"
Methanocella conradii NCBITaxon:1175444
SYNTROPHIC_PARTNER CROSS_FEEDER
N/A
  • PMID:30038609 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "hydrogenotrophic Methanocella conradii"
  • PMID:30038609 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "key genes for methanogenesis in M. conradii"

Ecological Interactions

Ecological interaction network for Pelotomaculum-Methanocella Propionate RNA-Seq Coculture Bipartite graph where circle nodes represent taxa and colored rectangles represent ecological interactions (cross-feeding, mutualism, syntrophy, competition, commensalism).
Taxon
Cross-feeding
Mutualism
Syntrophy
Competition
Commensalism
Niche partitioning
Colonization facilitation
Strain competition
Predation

Propionate Oxidation Coupled to Methanogenesis

SYNTROPHY

Source Taxon: Pelotomaculum thermopropionicum

Target Taxon: Methanocella conradii

Metabolites: propionate (CHEBI:17272), formate (CHEBI:15740), methane (CHEBI:16183)

Biological Processes:

Evidence

  • PMID:30038609 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "thermodynamically-based cooperation between microbial partners"
  • PMID:30038609 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "constructed cocultures of propionate-oxidizing Pelotomaculum thermopropionicum and hydrogenotrophic Methanocella conradii"

Catabolism and Methanogenesis Upregulation in Coculture

SYNTROPHY

Source Taxon: Pelotomaculum thermopropionicum

Target Taxon: Methanocella conradii

Biological Processes:

Evidence

  • PMID:30038609 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "both P. thermopropionicum and M. conradii significantly upregulated the expression of genes involved in catabolism"
  • PMID:30038609 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "methylmalonyl-CoA pathway in P. thermopropionicum and key genes for methanogenesis in M. conradii"

Formate and Electron Bifurcation Strategy

CROSS_FEEDING

Source Taxon: Pelotomaculum thermopropionicum

Target Taxon: Methanocella conradii

Metabolites: formate (CHEBI:15740)

Biological Processes:

  • interspecies interaction between organisms (GO:0044419)

Evidence

  • PMID:30038609 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "flavin-based electron bifurcation/confurcation systems in both organisms were also upregulated"
  • PMID:30038609 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "formate was produced and utilized by P. thermopropionicum and M. conradii, respectively"

Signal Transduction and Amino Acid Exchange

MUTUALISM

Source Taxon: Pelotomaculum thermopropionicum

Target Taxon: Methanocella conradii

Biological Processes:

  • interspecies interaction between organisms (GO:0044419)

Evidence

  • PMID:30038609 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "flagellum-induced signal transduction and amino acids exchange was upregulated"

Associated Datasets

Dataset Type Repository Accession
Pelotomaculum-Methanocella syntrophic coculture RNA-seq
GEO series for strand-specific RNA-seq comparing P. thermopropionicum and M. conradii monocultures with the syntrophic coculture. 		METATRANSCRIPTOME OTHER GSE103596

External Resources

Name Repository Resource ID
Exact-system primary publication - P. thermopropionicum and M. conradii RNA-seq coculture
Primary publication reporting transcriptome shifts in the exact two-member syntrophic coculture. 		OTHER PMID:30038609
  • PMID:30038609 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "constructed cocultures of propionate-oxidizing Pelotomaculum thermopropionicum and hydrogenotrophic Methanocella conradii"
DOI landing page - P. thermopropionicum and M. conradii coculture
DOI landing page for the exact-system RNA-seq publication. 		OTHER doi:10.3389/fmicb.2018.01551
GEO RNA-seq series GSE103596
Public GEO series for RNA-seq data from monoculture and syntrophic coculture conditions. 		OTHER GSE103596
NCBI Taxonomy - Pelotomaculum thermopropionicum
NCBI Taxonomy record for Pelotomaculum thermopropionicum. 		OTHER NCBITaxon:110500
NCBI Taxonomy - Methanocella conradii
NCBI Taxonomy record for Methanocella conradii. 		OTHER NCBITaxon:1175444

Environmental Factors

Factor Value Unit
Anaerobic syntrophic energy limitation small free-energy sharing N/A
  • PMID:30038609 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "share the small amounts of free energy for anaerobic growth"
Coculture versus monoculture comparison cocultures compared to monocultures N/A
  • PMID:30038609 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "compared them to monocultures"
Formate and BES inhibition formate and 2-bromoethanesulphonate inhibited syntrophic activity N/A
  • PMID:30038609 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "inhibition of syntrophic activity by formate and 2-bromoethanesulphonate"

Growth Media

Anaerobic propionate syntrophic coculture assay

Atmosphere ANAEROBIC

Composition

Component Concentration Unit CHEBI
Propionate N/A N/A CHEBI:17272

Preparation notes: Abstract-level evidence supports a propionate-oxidizing P. thermopropionicum and hydrogenotrophic M. conradii coculture assayed under anaerobic syntrophic conditions; detailed medium composition is not asserted here.

Evidence

PMID:30038609

"propionate-oxidizing Pelotomaculum thermopropionicum"

PMID:30038609

"anaerobic growth"