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Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Large Insert Environmental Genomic Library Production
Published on: September 23, 2009
Metagenome of a versatile chemolithoautotroph from expanding oceanic dead zones
David A Walsh1, Elena Zaikova, Charles G Howes
1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.
Abstract:
Oxygen minimum zones, also known as oceanic "dead zones," are widespread oceanographic features currently expanding because of global warming. Although inhospitable to metazoan life, they support a cryptic microbiota whose metabolic activities affect nutrient and trace gas cycling within the global ocean. Here, we report metagenomic analyses of a ubiquitous and abundant but uncultivated oxygen minimum zone microbe (SUP05) related to chemoautotrophic gill symbionts of deep-sea clams and mussels. The SUP05 metagenome harbors a versatile repertoire of genes mediating autotrophic carbon assimilation, sulfur oxidation, and nitrate respiration responsive to a wide range of water-column redox states. Our analysis provides a genomic foundation for understanding the ecological and biogeochemical role of pelagic SUP05 in oxygen-deficient oceanic waters and its potential sensitivity to environmental changes.
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