Purple sulfur bacteria fix N2 via molybdenum-nitrogenase in a low molybdenum Proterozoic ocean analogue

Miriam Philippi, Katharina Kitzinger (), Jasmine S. Berg, Bernhard Tschitschko, Abiel T. Kidane, Sten Littmann, Hannah K. Marchant, Nicola Storelli, Lenny H. E. Winkel, Carsten J. Schubert, Wiebke Mohr and Marcel M. M. Kuypers
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Miriam Philippi: Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
Katharina Kitzinger: Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
Jasmine S. Berg: ETH-Zurich
Bernhard Tschitschko: Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
Abiel T. Kidane: Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
Sten Littmann: Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
Hannah K. Marchant: Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
Nicola Storelli: University of Applied Sciences of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI)
Lenny H. E. Winkel: ETH-Zurich
Carsten J. Schubert: ETH-Zurich
Wiebke Mohr: Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
Marcel M. M. Kuypers: Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Biological N2 fixation was key to the expansion of life on early Earth. The N2-fixing microorganisms and the nitrogenase type used in the Proterozoic are unknown, although it has been proposed that the canonical molybdenum-nitrogenase was not used due to low molybdenum availability. We investigate N2 fixation in Lake Cadagno, an analogue system to the sulfidic Proterozoic continental margins, using a combination of biogeochemical, molecular and single cell techniques. In Lake Cadagno, purple sulfur bacteria (PSB) are responsible for high N2 fixation rates, to our knowledge providing the first direct evidence for PSB in situ N2 fixation. Surprisingly, no alternative nitrogenases are detectable, and N2 fixation is exclusively catalyzed by molybdenum-nitrogenase. Our results show that molybdenum-nitrogenase is functional at low molybdenum conditions in situ and that in contrast to previous beliefs, PSB may have driven N2 fixation in the Proterozoic ocean.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25000-z

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