First Investigation of the Microbiology of the Deepest Layer of Ocean Crust

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dc.contributor.authorOlivia U. Masonen_US
dc.contributor.authorTatsunori Nakagawaen_US
dc.contributor.authorMartin Rosneren_US
dc.contributor.authorJoy D. Van Nostranden_US
dc.contributor.authorJizhong Zhouen_US
dc.contributor.authorAkihiko Maruyamaen_US
dc.contributor.authorMartin R. Fisken_US
dc.contributor.authorStephen J. Giovannonien_US
dc.date.accessioned2015-01-23T17:17:32Z
dc.date.accessioned2016-03-30T15:35:40Z
dc.date.available2015-01-23T17:17:32Z
dc.date.available2016-03-30T15:35:40Z
dc.date.issued2010-11-05en_US
dc.descriptionWe would like to thank Frederick (Rick) Colwell for input on molecular analyses in low biomass environments, Donna Blackman, Benoît Ildefonse, Adélie Delacour, and Gretchen Früh-Green for discussions regarding geological and geochemical aspects of this manuscript, and the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expeditions 304/305 Science Party. We would also like to thank Captain Alex Simpson and the entire crew of the JOIDES Resolution.en_US
dc.descriptionConceived and designed the experiments: OUM MRF SJG. Performed the experiments: OUM TN MR JDVN AM. Analyzed the data: OUM TN MR JDVN AM. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: TN MR JZ MRF SJG. Wrote the paper: OUM.en_US
dc.description.abstractThe gabbroic layer comprises the majority of ocean crust. Opportunities to sample this expansive crustal environment are rare because of the technological demands of deep ocean drilling; thus, gabbroic microbial communities have not yet been studied. During the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expeditions 304 and 305, igneous rock samples were collected from 0.45-1391.01 meters below seafloor at Hole 1309D, located on the Atlantis Massif (30 °N, 42 °W). Microbial diversity in the rocks was analyzed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and sequencing (Expedition 304), and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism, cloning and sequencing, and functional gene microarray analysis (Expedition 305). The gabbroic microbial community was relatively depauperate, consisting of a low diversity of proteobacterial lineages closely related to Bacteria from hydrocarbon-dominated environments and to known hydrocarbon degraders, and there was little evidence of Archaea. Functional gene diversity in the gabbroic samples was analyzed with a microarray for metabolic genes (“GeoChip”), producing further evidence of genomic potential for hydrocarbon degradation - genes for aerobic methane and toluene oxidation. Genes coding for anaerobic respirations, such as nitrate reduction, sulfate reduction, and metal reduction, as well as genes for carbon fixation, nitrogen fixation, and ammonium-oxidation, were also present. Our results suggest that the gabbroic layer hosts a microbial community that can degrade hydrocarbons and fix carbon and nitrogen, and has the potential to employ a diversity of non-oxygen electron acceptors. This rare glimpse of the gabbroic ecosystem provides further support for the recent finding of hydrocarbons in deep ocean gabbro from Hole 1309D. It has been hypothesized that these hydrocarbons might originate abiotically from serpentinization reactions that are occurring deep in the Earth's crust, raising the possibility that the lithic microbial community reported here might utilize carbon sources produced independently of the surface biosphere.en_US
dc.description.peerreviewYesen_US
dc.description.peerreviewnoteshttp://www.plosone.org/static/editorial#peeren_US
dc.identifier.citationMason OU, Nakagawa T, Rosner M, Van Nostrand JD, Zhou J, et al. (2010) First Investigation of the Microbiology of the Deepest Layer of Ocean Crust. PLoS ONE 5(11): e15399. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0015399en_US
dc.identifier.doi10.1371/journal.pone.0015399en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11244/14068
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.publisherPLos Oneen_US
dc.relation.ispartofseriesPLoS ONE 5(11):e15399en_US
dc.relation.urihttp://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0015399en_US
dc.rightsAttribution 3.0 United Statesen_US
dc.rights.requestablefalseen_US
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/en_US
dc.subjectPLOSen_US
dc.subjectPublic Library of Scienceen_US
dc.subjectOpen Accessen_US
dc.subjectOpen-Accessen_US
dc.subjectScienceen_US
dc.subjectMedicineen_US
dc.subjectBiologyen_US
dc.subjectResearchen_US
dc.subjectPeer-reviewen_US
dc.subjectInclusiveen_US
dc.subjectInterdisciplinaryen_US
dc.subjectAnte-disciplinaryen_US
dc.subjectPhysicsen_US
dc.subjectChemistryen_US
dc.subjectEngineeringen_US
dc.titleFirst Investigation of the Microbiology of the Deepest Layer of Ocean Crusten_US
dc.typeResearch Articleen_US

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