Deciphering the evolution and metabolism of an anammox bacterium from a community genome

• Published in: Nature Vol. 440; no. 7085; pp. 790 - 794
• Main Authors: Jetten, Mike S. M, Wagner, Michael, Strous, Marc, Pelletier, Eric, Mangenot, Sophie, Rattei, Thomas, Lehner, Angelika, Taylor, Michael W, Horn, Matthias, Daims, Holger, Bartol-Mavel, Delphine, Wincker, Patrick, Barbe, Valérie, Fonknechten, Nuria, Vallenet, David, Segurens, Béatrice, Schenowitz-Truong, Chantal, Médigue, Claudine, Collingro, Astrid, Snel, Berend, Dutilh, Bas E, Op den Camp, Huub J. M, van der Drift, Chris, Cirpus, Irina, van de Pas-Schoonen, Katinka T, Harhangi, Harry R, van Niftrik, Laura, Schmid, Markus, Keltjens, Jan, van de Vossenberg, Jack, Kartal, Boran, Meier, Harald, Frishman, Dmitrij, Huynen, Martijn A, Mewes, Hans-Werner, Weissenbach, Jean, Le Paslier, Denis
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing 06.04.2006; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Anaerobiosis; Bacteria; Bacteria - classification; Bacteria - genetics; Bacteria - metabolism; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Biological Evolution; Bioreactors; Evolution; Evolution, Molecular; Fatty Acids - biosynthesis; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genes, Bacterial - genetics; Genome, Bacterial; Hydrazines - metabolism; Hydrolases - metabolism; Kuenenia stuttgartiensis; Metabolism; Metabolism. Enzymes; Microbiology; Operon - genetics; Oxidation; Oxidoreductases - metabolism; Phylogeny; Planctomycetes; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds - metabolism; Thermodynamics; Ammonium; Bioreactor; Nitrogen cycle; Genomics; Environment; Genetics; Biosynthesis; Oxidation; Biogeochemical cycle; Genome; Metabolism
• ISSN: 0028-0836; 1476-4687; 1476-4679
• DOI: 10.1038/nature04647

Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) has become a main focus in oceanography and wastewater treatment. It is also the nitrogen cycle's major remaining biochemical enigma. Among its features, the occurrence of hydrazine as a free intermediate of catabolism, the biosynthesis of ladderane lipids and the role of cytoplasm differentiation are unique in biology. Here we use environmental genomics—the reconstruction of genomic data directly from the environment—to assemble the genome of the uncultured anammox bacterium Kuenenia stuttgartiensis from a complex bioreactor community. The genome data illuminate the evolutionary history of the Planctomycetes and allow us to expose the genetic blueprint of the organism's special properties. Most significantly, we identified candidate genes responsible for ladderane biosynthesis and biological hydrazine metabolism, and discovered unexpected metabolic versatility.