Analysis of community composition of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria in hypersaline and soda lakes usingsoxB as a functional molecular marker

Abstract

The diversity of soxB gene encoding a key enzyme of the Sox pathway sulfate thiohydrolase has been investigated in pure cultures of various halophilic and haloalkaliphilic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB) and in salt and soda lakes in southwestern Siberia and Egypt. The gene was detected in the majority of strains belonging to eleven SOB genera excluding members of genera Thiohalospira and Thioalkalimicrobium. The uncultured diversity of soxB in salt and soda lakes was low with a majority of detected sequences belonging to autotrophic SOB from the Gammaproteobacteria. In addition, the soxB analysis allowed detection of putative heterotrophic Gamma- and Alphaproteobacterial SOB yet unknown in culture. All clone libraries obtained from soda lakes contained soxB belonging to the genus Thioalkalivibrio in agreement with the cultivation results. Besides, representatives of the genera Halothiobacillus, Marinobacter, and Halochromatium and of the family Rhodobacteraceae have been detected in both type of saline lakes.

Rhizosphere heterogeneity shapes abundance and activity of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria in vegetated salt marsh sediments

“…Although Thiohalorhabdus -related sequences were found relatively abundant in the 16S rRNA libraries (Table 1), they were not detected in the sox B library (Figure 1). Using the same primers as we did, Tourova et al (2013) successfully amplified the sox B gene from the extreme halophile Thiohalorhabdus denitrificans , an unclassified gammaproteobacterial S-oxidizer with no significant relationship to any other genera in this class (Sorokin et al, 2008). Therefore, Thiohalorhabdus -related bacteria detected in the 16S rRNA libraries might contain either a divergent sox B or no sox B at all and may not be involved in sulfur oxidation.…”

Functional microbiology of soda lakes

“…A sulfide-specialized species of the genus Thioalkalivibrio, Tv.sulfidophilus, has recently been identified as a dominant SOB species in full-scale bioreactors removing H 2 S from contaminated gas streams at haloalkaline conditions [85]. The presence of this SOB genus in soda lakes was confirmed by culture independent approach using cbb and soxB genes as functional molecular markers [86,87].…”

Sulphate production byParacoccus pantotrophusATCC 35512 from different sulphur substrates: sodium thiosulphate, sulphite and sulphide

“…Many genera of this group, including Acidianus, Acidithiobacillus, Aquaspirillum, Aquifer, Bacillus, Beggiatoa, Methylobacterium, Paracoccus, Pseudomonas, Starkeya, Sulfolobus, Thermithiobacillus, Thiobacillus and Xanthobacter are consecrated in the literature, presenting physiological and genetic machinery to control odors present in many environmental compartments as soil, marine estuaries, rice plantation, leached mining, hot springs, alkaline and hypersaline lakes [15,16,17,18].…”