A defined anaerobic syntrophic coculture in which Syntrophus gentianae degrades benzoate in association with the methanogen Methanospirillum hungatei. The system is relevant to DOE anaerobic carbon cycling, wastewater digestion, and aromatic-compound bioconversion because it links methanogenic benzoate degradation, thermodynamic thresholds, acetate inhibition, and methane formation in a tractable two-member community.
Taxonomy
| Taxon | Ontology ID | Functional Roles | Abundance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Syntrophus gentianae | NCBITaxon:43775 |
PRIMARY_DEGRADER
SYNTROPHIC_PARTNER
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N/A |
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| Methanospirillum hungatei | NCBITaxon:2203 |
SYNTROPHIC_PARTNER
CROSS_FEEDER
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N/A |
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Ecological Interactions
Methanogenic Benzoate Degradation
SYNTROPHYSource Taxon: Syntrophus gentianae
Target Taxon: Methanospirillum hungatei
Metabolites: benzoate (CHEBI:30746), acetate (CHEBI:30089), methane (CHEBI:16183)
Biological Processes:
- benzoate metabolic process (GO:0018874)
- methanogenesis (GO:0015948)
Evidence
-
PMID:33657722 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"Growing cocultures of Syntrophus gentianae with Methanospirillum hungatei degraded benzoate"
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PMID:33657722 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"degraded benzoate to CH4 and acetate"
Minimum Energy Threshold for Syntrophic Growth
SYNTROPHYSource Taxon: Syntrophus gentianae
Target Taxon: Methanospirillum hungatei
Metabolites: benzoate (CHEBI:30746)
Biological Processes:
- interspecies interaction between organisms (GO:0044419)
- benzoate metabolic process (GO:0018874)
Evidence
-
PMID:33657722 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"change of free energy available for Syntrophus gentianae ranged between -50 and -55 kJ mol-1"
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PMID:33657722 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"minimum energy required for growth and energy conservation"
Product Inhibition of Benzoate Degradation
COMPETITIONSource Taxon: Syntrophus gentianae
Target Taxon: Methanospirillum hungatei
Metabolites: acetate (CHEBI:30089), dihydrogen (CHEBI:18276)
Biological Processes:
- benzoate metabolic process (GO:0018874)
Evidence
-
PMID:33657722 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"Accumulated acetate proved to be thermodynamically inhibitory"
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PMID:33657722 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"Addition of acetate or propionate to benzoate-degrading cocultures also lowered the rate"
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PMID:33657722 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"Both hydrogen and acetate inhibit benzoate degradation thermodynamically"
Associated Datasets
| Dataset | Type | Repository | Accession |
|---|---|---|---|
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Syntrophus gentianae DSM 8423 genome assembly
Genome assembly for S. gentianae DSM 8423/HQG1, the benzoate-degrading bacterial species. |
GENOME | OTHER | GCA_900109885.1 |
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Syntrophus gentianae DSM 8423 IMG genome
JGI IMG genome resource for S. gentianae DSM 8423. |
GENOME | JGI_IMG | 2634166346 |
External Resources
| Name | Repository | Resource ID |
|---|---|---|
|
Exact-system primary publication - S. gentianae and M. hungatei benzoate coculture
Primary publication reporting energetics of methanogenic benzoate degradation by the S. gentianae and M. hungatei coculture. |
OTHER | PMID:33657722 |
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NCBI Taxonomy - Syntrophus gentianae
NCBI Taxonomy record for Syntrophus gentianae. |
OTHER | NCBITaxon:43775 |
|
NCBI Taxonomy - Methanospirillum hungatei
NCBI Taxonomy record for Methanospirillum hungatei. |
OTHER | NCBITaxon:2203 |
Environmental Factors
| Factor | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Methanogenic anaerobic condition | methanogenic coculture | N/A |
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| Residual benzoate threshold | 0.2 | mM |
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| Acetate and hydrogen inhibition | thermodynamic inhibition | N/A |
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| Hydrogen-scavenging sulfate reducer perturbation | BES-inhibited methanogenic coculture plus H2-oxidizing sulfate reducer | N/A |
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