Syntrophomonas-Methanospirillum Syntrophic Consortium

A syntrophic, obligate two-member anaerobic consortium consisting of Syntrophomonas wolfei, which β-oxidizes saturated fatty acids (butyrate through octanoate) to acetate, and Methanospirillum hungatei, a hydrogen-utilizing methanogen. S. wolfei degrades butyrate only in coculture with H2-using bacteria, as it uses protons as the electron acceptor with H2 as the electron sink product. The removal of H2 by M. hungatei is thermodynamically essential for continued fatty acid oxidation by S. wolfei. This classic syntrophic relationship is fundamental to understanding methane production from fatty acids in anaerobic environments such as digesters, sediments, and the rumen.