Evidence for methane production by saprotrophic fungi

Katharina Lenhart (), Michael Bunge, Stefan Ratering, Thomas R. Neu, Ina Schüttmann, Markus Greule, Claudia Kammann, Sylvia Schnell, Christoph Müller, Holger Zorn and Frank Keppler
Additional contact information
Katharina Lenhart: Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Hahn-Meitner-Weg 1, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
Michael Bunge: Institute of Applied Microbiology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, IFZ, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392 Giessen, Germany.
Stefan Ratering: Institute of Applied Microbiology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, IFZ, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392 Giessen, Germany.
Thomas R. Neu: Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, Brückstrasse 3a, 39114 Magdeburg, Germany.
Ina Schüttmann: Institute of Food Chemistry & Food Biotechnology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, IFZ, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 58, 35392 Giessen, Germany.
Markus Greule: Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Hahn-Meitner-Weg 1, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
Claudia Kammann: Justus Liebig University Giessen, IFZ, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392 Giessen, Germany.
Sylvia Schnell: Institute of Applied Microbiology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, IFZ, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392 Giessen, Germany.
Christoph Müller: Justus Liebig University Giessen, IFZ, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392 Giessen, Germany.
Holger Zorn: Institute of Food Chemistry & Food Biotechnology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, IFZ, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 58, 35392 Giessen, Germany.
Frank Keppler: Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Hahn-Meitner-Weg 1, 55128 Mainz, Germany.

Nature Communications, 2012, vol. 3, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Methane in the biosphere is mainly produced by prokaryotic methanogenic archaea, biomass burning, coal and oil extraction, and to a lesser extent by eukaryotic plants. Here we demonstrate that saprotrophic fungi produce methane without the involvement of methanogenic archaea. Fluorescence in situ hybridization, confocal laser-scanning microscopy and quantitative real-time PCR confirm no contribution from microbial contamination or endosymbionts. Our results suggest a common methane formation pathway in fungal cells under aerobic conditions and thus identify fungi as another source of methane in the environment. Stable carbon isotope labelling experiments reveal methionine as a precursor of methane in fungi. These findings of an aerobic fungus-derived methane formation pathway open another avenue in methane research and will further assist with current efforts in the identification of the processes involved and their ecological implications.

Date: 2012
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2049

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