IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v7y2016i1d10.1038_ncomms12770.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Reconstructing a hydrogen-driven microbial metabolic network in Opalinus Clay rock

Author

Listed:
  • Alexandre Bagnoud

    (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Environmental Microbiology Laboratory
    Present address: Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Stream Biofilm and Ecology Research Laboratory, Station 2, Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland)

  • Karuna Chourey

    (Oak Ridge National Laboratory)

  • Robert L. Hettich

    (Oak Ridge National Laboratory)

  • Ino de Bruijn

    (Bioinformatics Infrastructure for Life Sciences (BILS)
    KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Science for Life Laboratory, School of Biotechnology)

  • Anders F. Andersson

    (KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Science for Life Laboratory, School of Biotechnology)

  • Olivier X. Leupin

    (Nagra)

  • Bernhard Schwyn

    (Nagra)

  • Rizlan Bernier-Latmani

    (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Environmental Microbiology Laboratory)

Abstract

The Opalinus Clay formation will host geological nuclear waste repositories in Switzerland. It is expected that gas pressure will build-up due to hydrogen production from steel corrosion, jeopardizing the integrity of the engineered barriers. In an in situ experiment located in the Mont Terri Underground Rock Laboratory, we demonstrate that hydrogen is consumed by microorganisms, fuelling a microbial community. Metagenomic binning and metaproteomic analysis of this deep subsurface community reveals a carbon cycle driven by autotrophic hydrogen oxidizers belonging to novel genera. Necromass is then processed by fermenters, followed by complete oxidation to carbon dioxide by heterotrophic sulfate-reducing bacteria, which closes the cycle. This microbial metabolic web can be integrated in the design of geological repositories to reduce pressure build-up. This study shows that Opalinus Clay harbours the potential for chemolithoautotrophic-based system, and provides a model of microbial carbon cycle in deep subsurface environments where hydrogen and sulfate are present.

Suggested Citation

  • Alexandre Bagnoud & Karuna Chourey & Robert L. Hettich & Ino de Bruijn & Anders F. Andersson & Olivier X. Leupin & Bernhard Schwyn & Rizlan Bernier-Latmani, 2016. "Reconstructing a hydrogen-driven microbial metabolic network in Opalinus Clay rock," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 7(1), pages 1-10, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:7:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms12770
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12770
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms12770
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/ncomms12770?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:7:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms12770. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.