Nitrogen-fixing Ability of a Thermophilic Sulfate-reducing Bacterium in the Genus Thermodesulfovibrio Isolated from a Terrestrial Hot Spring in Japan
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Updated: Jan 17, 2026

Author Spotlight: Unraveling the Mysteries of Terrestrial Anaerobic Microorganisms in Uncharted Environments by In Situ Culturing
Published on: January 12, 2024
Toko Hisano1,2, Arisa Nishihara1,3, Shin Haruta1
1Department of Biological Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University.
Abstract:
Nitrogen-fixing sulfate-reducing bacteria have not yet been exami-ned in thermal environments. In this study, strain TK110, belonging to the genus Thermodesulfovibrio, was successfully isolated from a geothermal spring using an NH3-free inorganic medium. Strain TK110 harbored genes associated with the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle and nitrogen fixation-related genes, nifHDKENXIIB. Nitrogenase activity was assessed using an acetylene reduction assay and detected in strain TK110 under autotrophic conditions, as well as in Thermodesulfovibrio yellowstonii DSM 11347T under heterotrophic conditions at 65°C. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate nitrogen fixation by thermophilic sulfate-reducing bacteria.
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