Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Anoxygenic Photosynthesis01:30

Anoxygenic Photosynthesis

Anoxygenic photosynthesis is a phototrophic process that captures light energy to drive carbon fixation without producing molecular oxygen. Unlike oxygenic photosynthesis, which utilizes water as an electron donor and releases oxygen, anoxygenic phototrophs use alternative electron donors such as hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), elemental sulfur (S⁰), or thiosulfate (S₂O₃²⁻). This process is carried out by diverse groups of bacteria, including purple bacteria, green sulfur bacteria, heliobacteria, and...
Anoxygenic Phototrophic Bacteria01:28

Anoxygenic Phototrophic Bacteria

Anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria are a diverse group of microorganisms that perform photosynthesis without producing oxygen. They primarily include purple sulfur bacteria, purple nonsulfur bacteria, green sulfur bacteria, and green nonsulfur bacteria. These bacteria are classified into the Gammaproteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Chlorobi, and Chloroflexi lineages, each with distinct physiological and ecological adaptations.Purple sulfur bacteria belong to the...
Oxygen Requirements and Growth Patterns01:29

Oxygen Requirements and Growth Patterns

Microorganisms exhibit diverse oxygen requirements and growth patterns driven by their metabolic strategies and environmental adaptations. Oxygen, while essential for many organisms, can also be toxic under certain conditions, shaping how microorganisms grow and survive.Oxygen Requirements of MicroorganismsMicroorganisms are classified based on their ability to use or tolerate oxygen:● Obligate aerobes like Mycobacterium tuberculosis need oxygen for energy production, as it serves as the...
Deep Sea Microbial Ecology01:18

Deep Sea Microbial Ecology

The deep ocean and its underlying sediments represent vast, largely unexplored microbial habitats that extend far beyond the sunlit photic zone. The photic (euphotic) zone typically spans the upper ~100–200 meters of pelagic waters in the open ocean, but its depth varies geographically and seasonally, where sufficient light supports photosynthetic life. Below this lies the deep sea, spanning roughly 1000–6000 meters (bathypelagic to abyssal zones), with deeper hadal trenches extending beyond...
Microbial Interactions: Competition01:26

Microbial Interactions: Competition

Microbial competition is an ecological interaction in which microorganisms vie for limited resources within shared environments. These resources may include nutrients, space, or light, depending on the system. The intensity and outcome of competition are influenced by the environmental context, such as nutrient availability, spatial constraints, and the diversity of microbial species present. These competitive interactions significantly influence the structure, function, and resilience of...
Microbial Mats01:25

Microbial Mats

Microbial communities forming biofilms and mats represent complex, spatially structured ecosystems where metabolic processes are stratified according to light, oxygen, and nutrient gradients. Biofilms are initial colonization stages, only a few millimeters thick, while mature microbial mats can reach centimeter-scale thickness and display intricate vertical organization. Their structural and functional heterogeneity allows microorganisms to occupy distinct ecological niches within a few...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Electrogenic CH4 oxidation on a bioanode: putative extracellular electron transport system in Methylobacter sp.

FEMS microbiology ecology·2026
Same author

Sulfoquinovose degradation by cow rumen microbiota.

The ISME journal·2026
Same author

Mini-bacterioferritins: structural insight into a ferritin-like protein from the anaerobic methane-oxidising archaeon Candidatus Methanoperedens carboxydivorans.

Communications biology·2026
Same author

Potential for Manganese Oxide Driven Anaerobic Methane Oxidation in Sediments of a Seasonally Euxinic Coastal Basin.

Estuaries and coasts : journal of the Estuarine Research Federation·2026
Same author

A novel North Sea ammonia-oxidizing archaeon Nitrosarchaeum marinum leverages a high abundance of transport systems to grow over a wide salinity range.

FEMS microbiology ecology·2026
Same author

Response and adaptation of verrucomicrobial methanotrophs to heat and acidity.

Archives of microbiology·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 19, 2026

Operation of Laboratory Photobioreactors with Online Growth Measurements and Customizable Light Regimes
05:21

Operation of Laboratory Photobioreactors with Online Growth Measurements and Customizable Light Regimes

Published on: October 28, 2021

Bacterial oxygen production in the dark.

Katharina F Ettwig1, Daan R Speth, Joachim Reimann

  • 1Department of Microbiology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands.

Frontiers in Microbiology
|August 15, 2012
PubMed
Summary

Microorganisms use nitric oxide (NO) and nitrous oxide (N2O) to degrade hydrocarbons. In anaerobic methanotrophs, NO or derived oxygen species activate methane, though the exact mechanism remains unclear.

Keywords:
Cldchlorate reductionchlorite dismutasenitric oxidenitric oxide reductaseoxygen productionstrain HdN1“Candidatus Methylomirabilis oxyfera”

More Related Videos

In Situ Measurement and Correlation of Cell Density and Light Emission of Bioluminescent Bacteria
05:52

In Situ Measurement and Correlation of Cell Density and Light Emission of Bioluminescent Bacteria

Published on: June 28, 2018

Creating Rapid Oxygen Oscillations in Microbial Single-cell Growth Analysis using a Microfluidic Double-layer Device
08:28

Creating Rapid Oxygen Oscillations in Microbial Single-cell Growth Analysis using a Microfluidic Double-layer Device

Published on: July 18, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 19, 2026

Operation of Laboratory Photobioreactors with Online Growth Measurements and Customizable Light Regimes
05:21

Operation of Laboratory Photobioreactors with Online Growth Measurements and Customizable Light Regimes

Published on: October 28, 2021

In Situ Measurement and Correlation of Cell Density and Light Emission of Bioluminescent Bacteria
05:52

In Situ Measurement and Correlation of Cell Density and Light Emission of Bioluminescent Bacteria

Published on: June 28, 2018

Creating Rapid Oxygen Oscillations in Microbial Single-cell Growth Analysis using a Microfluidic Double-layer Device
08:28

Creating Rapid Oxygen Oscillations in Microbial Single-cell Growth Analysis using a Microfluidic Double-layer Device

Published on: July 18, 2025

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Biochemistry
  • Environmental Science

Background:

  • Nitric oxide (NO) and nitrous oxide (N2O) are potent electron acceptors utilized by microorganisms.
  • Certain bacteria can degrade hydrocarbons using the oxidizing power of NO and N2O under anaerobic conditions.
  • Intra-aerobic pathways, where oxygen is generated internally, are observed in some microorganisms for hydrocarbon degradation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current knowledge on intra-aerobic pathways in microbial hydrocarbon degradation.
  • To explore the potential presence of these pathways in other organisms.
  • To identify candidate enzymes, such as quinol-dependent NO reductases (qNORs), involved in oxygen formation.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of microbial hydrocarbon degradation pathways.
  • Analysis of proposed mechanisms for substrate activation by NO and nitrite.
  • Identification of potential enzymatic candidates based on known biochemical reactions.

Main Results:

  • Bacterial species like "Candidatus Methylomirabilis oxyfera" and strain HdN1 utilize monooxygenases for methane and hexadecane oxidation, respectively, under anoxic conditions with nitrate/nitrite.
  • Substrate activation in "M. oxyfera" with nitrite correlates with oxygen and nitrogen formation, suggesting a role for NO or derived oxygen species in methane activation.
  • Oxygen generation from chlorite by (per)chlorate-reducing bacteria also supports the concept of intra-aerobic pathways.

Conclusions:

  • The findings support the role of NO or derived oxygen species in activating substrates like methane in anaerobic methanotrophs.
  • Oxygen generation provides a plausible explanation for the use of "aerobic" pathways under anoxic conditions.
  • Quinol-dependent NO reductases (qNORs) are proposed as candidate enzymes potentially involved in the oxygen formation mechanism.