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Thermacetogenium-Methanothermobacter Acetate Oxidation Coculture

A defined thermophilic anaerobic two-member syntrophic coculture in which Thermacetogenium phaeum strain PB oxidizes acetate using the reversible Wood-Ljungdahl/CO dehydrogenase-acetyl-CoA pathway, while Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus strain TM consumes reduced products through hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. This model system is relevant to anaerobic digestion and methane cycling because acetate oxidation is coupled to methane formation under low hydrogen partial pressure.

Taxonomy

Taxon Ontology ID Functional Roles Abundance
Thermacetogenium phaeum PB NCBITaxon:1089553
PRIMARY_DEGRADER SYNTROPHIC_PARTNER
N/A
  • PMID:10939667 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "strain PBT (= DSM 12270T)"
  • PMID:15866934 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "Thermacetogenium phaeum is a homoacetogenic bacterium"
  • PMID:11872465 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "Thermacetogenium phaeum strain PB"
Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus TM NCBITaxon:145262
SYNTROPHIC_PARTNER CROSS_FEEDER
N/A
  • PMID:15866934 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "hydrogen-consuming methanogenic partner Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus"
  • PMID:11872465 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "Methanothermobacter thermoautotrophicus strain TM"

Ecological Interactions

Ecological interaction network for Thermacetogenium-Methanothermobacter Acetate Oxidation 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

Syntrophic Acetate Oxidation by Thermacetogenium

SYNTROPHY

Source Taxon: Thermacetogenium phaeum PB

Target Taxon: Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus TM

Metabolites: acetate (CHEBI:30089), formate (CHEBI:15740), dihydrogen (CHEBI:18276)

Biological Processes:

Evidence

  • PMID:15866934 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "oxidized acetate rapidly"
  • PMID:15866934 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "CO dehydrogenase/acetyl-CoA pathway reversibly"
  • PMID:31849917 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "yielding formate as reduced product"

Hydrogenotrophic Methanogenesis by Methanothermobacter

SYNTROPHY

Source Taxon: Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus TM

Target Taxon: Thermacetogenium phaeum PB

Metabolites: dihydrogen (CHEBI:18276), carbon dioxide (CHEBI:16526), methane (CHEBI:16183)

Biological Processes:

Evidence

  • PMID:11872465 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "thermophilic hydrogen-utilizing methanogen"
  • PMID:11872465 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "hydrogen partial pressure was constantly kept very low"
  • PMID:11872465 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "catalyzing the final step of methanogenesis"

Formate Transfer to the Methanogenic Partner

CROSS_FEEDING

Source Taxon: Thermacetogenium phaeum PB

Target Taxon: Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus TM

Metabolites: formate (CHEBI:15740), carbon dioxide (CHEBI:16526)

Biological Processes:

  • interspecies interaction between organisms (GO:0044419)

Evidence

  • PMID:31849917 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "transferred to the methanogenic partner"
  • PMID:31849917 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "quinone-dependent formate dehydrogenase"

Associated Datasets

Dataset Type Repository Accession
Thermacetogenium phaeum DSM 12270 genome BioProject
Genome sequencing project for T. phaeum DSM 12270 strain PB, the bacterial member of this syntrophic coculture.
GENOME NCBI_BIOPROJECT PRJNA168373

External Resources

Name Repository Resource ID
Exact-system pathway publication - T. phaeum and M. thermautotrophicus
Primary publication describing acetate oxidation and acetate formation by the T. phaeum and M. thermautotrophicus syntrophic coculture.
OTHER PMID:15866934
  • PMID:15866934 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "T. phaeum and M. thermautotrophicus"
Exact-system methanogenesis expression publication
Publication reporting methanogenesis gene expression in M. thermoautotrophicus strain TM cocultured with T. phaeum strain PB.
OTHER PMID:11872465
  • PMID:11872465 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "coculture with an acetate-oxidizing hydrogen-producing bacterium"
Exact-system energy-conservation publication
Follow-up publication on energy-conserving enzyme systems in T. phaeum during syntrophic acetate oxidation with methanogens.
OTHER PMID:31849917
  • PMID:31849917 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus strain TM"
Thermacetogenium phaeum type strain publication
Taxonomic publication for T. phaeum PB/DSM 12270 and its syntrophic acetate-oxidizing phenotype.
OTHER PMID:10939667
  • PMID:10939667 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "syntrophic acetate-oxidizing bacterium"

Environmental Factors

Factor Value Unit
Thermophilic temperature 55 to 58 degrees Celsius
  • PMID:10939667 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "thermophilic (55 degrees C) anaerobic methanogenic reactor"
  • PMID:10939667 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "grew optimally at 58 degrees C"
Anaerobic methanogenic condition anaerobic methanogenic coculture N/A
  • PMID:10939667 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "anaerobic methanogenic reactor"
Low hydrogen partial pressure 20 to 80 Pa
Acetate substrate acetate N/A
  • PMID:15866934 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "grow on acetate if cocultured"

Growth Media