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Síntesis de ácido metilfosfónico por microbios marinos: una fuente de metano en el océano aeróbico
William W Metcalf1, Benjamin M Griffin, Robert M Cicchillo
1Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. metcalf@uiuc.edu
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|September 1, 2012
Resumen
Los microbios marinos pueden producir metilfosfonato, un compuesto previamente desconocido en la naturaleza. Este descubrimiento ofrece una posible solución al misterio de la sobresaturación del metano oceánico, conocida como la paradoja del metano.
Área de la Ciencia:
- Microbiología marina microbiología marina.
- Biogeoquímica La biogeoquímica es la bioquímica.
- Ciencias ambientales Ciencias ambientales.
Sus antecedentes:
- El océano aeróbico está sobresaturado de metano, un potente gas de efecto invernadero, pero su origen oceánico sigue sin estar claro.
- Una explicación propuesta implica la descomposición del ácido metilfosfónico por los microbios, sin embargo, el metilfosfonato no es un producto natural conocido y su síntesis es bioquímicamente inexplicable.
Objetivo del estudio:
- Para investigar la biosíntesis potencial del metilfosfonato en microbios marinos.
- Para determinar si la producción de metilfosfonato puede explicar la paradoja del metano oceánico.
Principales métodos:
- Análisis genómico del arqueón marino Nitrosopumilus maritimus para identificar genes involucrados en la síntesis del metilfosfonato.
- Análisis metagenómico para evaluar la prevalencia de genes clave en las comunidades microbianas marinas.
Principales resultados:
- Nitrosopumilus maritimus posee una vía para la biosíntesis de metilfosfonato y produce ésteres de metilfosfonato.
- Un gen clave en esta vía es abundante en los datos metagenómicos marinos, lo que sugiere una capacidad generalizada.
Conclusiones:
- Los microbios marinos, incluido Nitrosopumilus maritimus, pueden sintetizar el metilfosfonato.
- La biosíntesis de metilfosfonato por los microbios marinos proporciona una fuente plausible para el metano oceánico, resolviendo la paradoja del metano.
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