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Thermotoga-Methanocaldococcus Hyperthermophilic Syntrophy

A defined hyperthermophilic bacterial-archaeal coculture in which Thermotoga maritima MSB8 ferments organic substrates and transfers hydrogen to the hydrogenotrophic methanogen historically reported as Methanococcus jannaschii, now represented by NCBI as Methanocaldococcus jannaschii DSM 2661. The coculture is relevant to DOE bioenergy and subsurface biogeochemistry because it links high-temperature fermentation, interspecies hydrogen transfer, cell aggregation, and methane formation in an experimentally tractable system.

Taxonomy

Taxon Ontology ID Functional Roles Abundance
Thermotoga maritima MSB8 NCBITaxon:243274
PRIMARY_DEGRADER SYNTROPHIC_PARTNER
N/A
  • PMID:18636642 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "Thermotoga maritima, an anaerobic heterotroph"
  • PMID:16391122 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "the hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga maritima"
Methanocaldococcus jannaschii DSM 2661 NCBITaxon:243232
SYNTROPHIC_PARTNER CROSS_FEEDER
N/A
  • PMID:18636642 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "Methanococcus jannaschii, a hydrogenotrophic methanogen"
  • PMID:16391122 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "the hyperthermophilic archaeon Methanococcus jannaschii"

Ecological Interactions

Ecological interaction network for Thermotoga-Methanocaldococcus Hyperthermophilic Syntrophy 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

Interspecies Hydrogen Transfer

SYNTROPHY

Source Taxon: Thermotoga maritima MSB8

Target Taxon: Methanocaldococcus jannaschii DSM 2661

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

Biological Processes:

Evidence

  • PMID:18636642 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "Cell densities of T. maritima increased 10-fold when cocultured"
  • PMID:18636642 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "the methanogen was able to grow in the absence of externally supplied H(2) and CO(2)"
  • PMID:16391122 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "Interspecies H2 transfer resulted in three- to fivefold-higher T. maritima cell densities"

Spatially Proximate Methanogenic Coculture

COLONIZATION_FACILITATION

Source Taxon: Methanocaldococcus jannaschii DSM 2661

Target Taxon: Thermotoga maritima MSB8

Metabolites: dihydrogen (CHEBI:18276)

Biological Processes:

  • interspecies interaction between organisms (GO:0044419)

Evidence

  • PMID:18636642 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "could not be established if the two organisms were physically separated"
  • PMID:18636642 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "suggesting the importance of spatial proximity"

Coculture-Associated Aggregation and Transcriptome Shift

SYNTROPHY

Source Taxon: Thermotoga maritima MSB8

Target Taxon: Methanocaldococcus jannaschii DSM 2661

Biological Processes:

  • interspecies interaction between organisms (GO:0044419)

Evidence

  • PMID:16391122 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "292 genes differentially expressed in T. maritima"
  • PMID:16391122 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "concomitant formation of exopolysaccharide (EPS)-based cell aggregates"
  • PMID:16391122 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "syntrophic interactions can impact the transcriptome of heterotrophs"

Associated Datasets

Dataset Type Repository Accession
Thermotoga maritima MSB8 genome BioProject
Genome project for T. maritima MSB8, the fermentative bacterial member.
GENOME NCBI_BIOPROJECT PRJNA57723
Methanocaldococcus jannaschii DSM 2661 genome BioProject
Genome project for M. jannaschii DSM 2661, the methanogenic archaeal member.
GENOME NCBI_BIOPROJECT PRJNA102

External Resources

Name Repository Resource ID
Exact-system hydrogen-transfer publication
Primary publication reporting hydrogen transfer in T. maritima and M. jannaschii hyperthermophilic coculture.
OTHER PMID:18636642
  • PMID:18636642 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "Thermotoga maritima, an anaerobic heterotroph, and Methanococcus jannaschii"
Exact-system transcriptome and phenotype publication
Follow-up exact-system publication showing coculture impacts on T. maritima transcriptome and aggregation.
OTHER PMID:16391122
  • PMID:16391122 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "The Thermotoga maritima phenotype is impacted by syntrophic interaction with Methanococcus jannaschii"

Environmental Factors

Factor Value Unit
Hyperthermophilic temperature 85 degrees C
Anaerobic methanogenic condition anaerobic N/A
  • PMID:18636642 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "Thermotoga maritima, an anaerobic heterotroph"
  • PMID:16391122 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "methanogenic coculture"

Growth Media