Aerotolerant Thiosulfate-Reducing Bacterium Fusibacter sp. Strain WBS Isolated from Littoral Bottom Sediments of the White Sea-Biochemical and Genome Analysis

• Published in: Microorganisms (Basel) 2023-06, Vol.11 (7), p.1642
• Main Authors: Brioukhanov, Andrei L, Kadnikov, Vitaly V, Beletsky, Alexey V, Savvichev, Alexander S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acetic acid; Alcohols; Aldehydes; antioxidant defense; Bacteria; Bottom sediments; Cold; Fermentation; Fusibacter; Genes; genome sequencing; Genomes; Glycolysis; Littoral environments; marine bottom sediments; Metabolism; Microorganisms; Pentose; Pentose phosphate pathway; Peroxidase; Phylogeny; rRNA 16S; Salinity tolerance; Sediments; Sodium; Sodium chloride; Strain analysis; Substrates; Sulfur; Superoxide dismutase; Thiosulfate; thiosulfate-reducing bacteria; Thiosulfates; White Sea
• ISSN: 2076-2607; 2076-2607
• DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11071642

The strain WBS, an anaerobic, psychro- and halotolerant bacterium belonging to the genus , was isolated from the littoral bottom sediments of the White Sea, Arctic, Russia. WBS grew at temperatures between 8 and 32 °C (optimum growth at 18-20 °C), pH between 5.2 and 8.3 (optimum growth at pH 7.2), and at NaCl concentrations between 0 and 70 g L (optimum growth at 32 g L ). It reduced sulfate, thiosulfate, and elemental sulfur into sulfide, and, probably, the strain is able to disproportionate thiosulfate. The strain also utilized a wide range of substrates as it is a chemoorganotrophic bacterium. Analysis of the sequenced genome revealed genes for all enzymes involved in the Embden-Meyerhof glycolytic pathway as well as genes for the non-oxidative stage of the pentose phosphate pathway. The presence of genes encoding aldehyde dehydrogenases and alcohol dehydrogenases also suggests that, in addition to acetate, alcohols can also be the fermentation products. The strain possessed superoxide dismutase and peroxidase activities and the ability to consume O , which is in full accordance with the presence of corresponding genes of antioxidant defense in the genome. The phylogenetic analysis suggested that the strain WBS is the closest relative of LTF Kr01 (16S rRNA gene sequence similarity 98.78%). Based on biochemical and genomic characteristics, the strain WBS is proposed to represent a novel aero-, halo- and psychrotolerant strain from the genus , isolated for the first time among its members from cold oxygenated marine bottom sediments.