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Deep-Sea Whale-Fall Vallitalea and Trichloromonas Chitin-Degrading Electrogenic Consortium

Community ID CommunityMech:000474
Ecological State ENGINEERED
Environment marine sediment
ENVO:03000033 · HabitatMech ↗

Anaerobic deep-sea whale-fall sediment microbial consortium and reconstituted defined co-culture enriched in potentiostatically controlled bioelectrochemical reactors poised at +0.22 V vs. SHE mimicking iron-reducing conditions. Primary chitin-degrading Vallitalea sp. hydrolyzes insoluble crystalline chitin and ferments oligomers to soluble intermediates (N-acetylglucosamine, glucose, acetate) that are cross-fed to iron-reducing, electrogenic Trichloromonas sp. performing extracellular electron transfer (EET) to electrodes or iron oxides.

Taxonomy

Taxon Ontology ID Functional Roles Abundance
Vallitalea NCBITaxon:1348611 · TaxonMech · TraitMech
PRIMARY_DEGRADER SECONDARY_FERMENTER CROSS_FEEDER
DOMINANT
  • PMID:42297039 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "We isolated a chitin-degrading Vallitalea sp. and an iron-reducing, electrogenic Trichloromonas sp., and demonstrated that, when reconstituted in co-culture, they cooperatively degrade chitin via acetate cross-feeding coupled to EET."
Trichloromonas NCBITaxon:3031666 · TaxonMech · TraitMech
SECONDARY_FERMENTER SYNTROPHIC_PARTNER
DOMINANT
  • PMID:42297039 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "We isolated a chitin-degrading Vallitalea sp. and an iron-reducing, electrogenic Trichloromonas sp., and demonstrated that, when reconstituted in co-culture, they cooperatively degrade chitin via acetate cross-feeding coupled to EET."

Ecological Interactions

The graph shows only explicitly linked interaction participants. Community members without an asserted participant link are omitted; membership alone does not imply an interaction.

Ecological interaction network for Deep-Sea Whale-Fall Vallitalea and Trichloromonas Chitin-Degrading Electrogenic Consortium Bipartite graph where circles represent taxa and non-circular symbols represent interactions, with distinct shapes and colours for cross-feeding, syntrophy.
Taxon
Cross-feeding
Syntrophy

Anaerobic Exoenzyme Chitin Depolymerization and Fermentation by Vallitalea

CROSS_FEEDING

Chitin-degrading Vallitalea sp. hydrolyzes insoluble crystalline chitin via extracellular chitinases and ferments chitin-derived sugars (N-acetylglucosamine and glucose) into acetate for the electrogenic partner.

Source Taxon: Vallitalea

Target Taxon: Trichloromonas

Metabolites: chitin (CHEBI:17029 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech), glucose (CHEBI:17234 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech), acetate (CHEBI:30089 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech)

Biological Processes:

Downstream Effects:
→ Acetate Cross-Feeding Within the Anodic Electrode Biofilm

DIRECTLY IMPLIED: Extracellular chitin depolymerization and fermentation by Vallitalea supply soluble chitin-derived metabolites and acetate to co-localized Trichloromonas cells.

Evidence

  • PMID:42297039 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "Exoenzyme assays, metabolite profiling, and current measurements confirmed that active chitin degradation provided substrate(s) for extracellular electron transfer (EET)."
  • PMID:42297039 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "Amendment with crystalline chitin generated stable anodic currents, which increased upon addition of chitin-associated metabolites (N-acetylglucosamine, glucose, acetate)."

Acetate Cross-Feeding Within the Anodic Electrode Biofilm

CROSS_FEEDING

Within 10 micrometers of the poised electrode surface, primary degrader Vallitalea sp. cross-feeds acetate generated from anaerobic chitin breakdown to co-localized Desulfobacterota (Trichloromonas sp.).

Source Taxon: Vallitalea

Target Taxon: Trichloromonas

Metabolites: acetate (CHEBI:30089 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech)

Biological Processes:

Downstream Effects:
→ Electrogenic Acetate Oxidation Coupled to Extracellular Electron Transfer and Iron Reduction

DIRECTLY IMPLIED: Cross-fed acetate is oxidized by electrogenic Trichloromonas sp. to drive extracellular electron transfer to poised electrodes and Fe(III) oxides.

Evidence

  • PMID:42297039 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "Single-cell analyses using FISH-BONCAT and nanoSIMS showed that Vallitalea (primary degrader) and electrode-respiring Desulfobacterota exhibited highest activity within the electrode biofilm, particularly within ca.10 μm of the surface."
  • PMID:42297039 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "We isolated a chitin-degrading Vallitalea sp. and an iron-reducing, electrogenic Trichloromonas sp., and demonstrated that, when reconstituted in co-culture, they cooperatively degrade chitin via acetate cross-feeding coupled to EET."

Electrogenic Acetate Oxidation Coupled to Extracellular Electron Transfer and Iron Reduction

SYNTROPHY

Iron-reducing, electrogenic Trichloromonas sp. oxidizes Vallitalea-derived acetate and transfers electrons to solid-phase Fe(III) oxides or anodes poised at +0.22 V vs. SHE, sustaining syntrophic anaerobic chitin degradation.

Source Taxon: Trichloromonas

Target Taxon: Vallitalea

Metabolites: acetate (CHEBI:30089 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech), iron(3+) (CHEBI:29034 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech)

Biological Processes:

Evidence

  • PMID:42297039 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "We isolated a chitin-degrading Vallitalea sp. and an iron-reducing, electrogenic Trichloromonas sp., and demonstrated that, when reconstituted in co-culture, they cooperatively degrade chitin via acetate cross-feeding coupled to EET."

Environmental Factors

Factor Value Unit
Crystalline Chitin and Poised Anode (+0.22 V vs. SHE) 0.01 g/mL colloidal chitin; +0.22 V vs. SHE poised carbon cloth electrode N/A
  • PMID:42297039 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "Here, we used potentiostatically controlled bioelectrochemical reactors poised at +0.22 V vs. Standard Hydrogen Electrode, mimicking iron-reducing conditions, to enrich and characterize a chitin-degrading, metal-reducing microbial community from an anoxic deep-sea whale-fall sediment."

Cross-Mech Suite Links

Explore related entities across the CultureBotAI X-Mech knowledge bases:

HabitatMech: marine sediment ↗ TaxonMech: Vallitalea ↗ TraitMech: Vallitalea ↗ TaxonMech: Trichloromonas ↗ TraitMech: Trichloromonas ↗ CMMMech (Critical Minerals & REE) ↗ CultureMech Growth Media ↗ PathwayMech Pathways ↗