Candidatus Acidulodesulfobacterales, a formerly proposed bacterial order within the Deltaproteobacteria lineage, represents an ecologically significant group in sulfur-rich environments. Their diversity and functional potential in artificial acid mine drainage (AMD) ecosystems have been well studied; however, their distribution and ecological role in marine hydrothermal sulfides remain poorly understood. Here we integrated publicly available metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) with a newly reconstructed MAG from hydrothermal sulfides to perform comprehensive phylogenetic, metabolic, and host-virus interaction analyses. Phylogenomic and 16S rRNA gene analyses indicated that this lineage represents a distinct phylum-level clade, leading us to propose the designation Ca. Acidulodesulfobacteriota. Metabolic reconstructions indicated a versatile lifestyle, encompassing pathways for carbon fixation, nitrogen fixation, sulfur metabolism, iron oxidation, and hydrogen oxidation. Notably, the concatenated DsrAB protein phylogeny and the mixed enzyme types involved in Dsr-dependent dissimilatory sulfur metabolism suggest that Ca. Acidulodesulfobacteriota may represent a transitional lineage in the evolutionary shift from reductive to oxidative Dsr metabolism. Viral auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) associated with this phylum were predicted to modulate host metabolic pathways, including folate biosynthesis and sulfur metabolism, highlighting intricate host-virus interactions. These findings advance our understanding of the evolution, metabolic potential, and ecological roles of Ca. Acidulodesulfobacteriota in biogeochemical cycling.

In the field of public health, we conduct a variety of experiments and studies on insects, such as mosquitoes, to advance vector-borne disease research. However entomologists’ variable knowledge and a...

Background Vitamin B1 (thiamin) is essential to life; yet little is known of the regulation of its availability in marine environments or how it varies seasonally. Since microbes are the key synthesizers of the vitamin in marine environments, we here used metatranscriptomics to examine the seasonal dynamics of B1 acquisition strategies (including both uptake and synthesis pathways) in Baltic Sea bacterioplankton. Results Elevated B1-related gene expression was observed in summer, coinciding with increased temperatures and bacterial activity and decreased nutrient availability. Different bacterial taxa exhibited distinct B1 acquisition strategies. We identified filamentous Cyanobacteria of the order Nostocales as critical to sustaining B1 production during summer, potentially compensating for limited synthesis in heterotrophic bacteria, especially for 4-amino-5-hydroxymethylpyrimidine (HMP) synthesis. Also, Pelagibacterales accounted for major portions of the community transcription, primarily taking up and salvaging the B1 precursor HMP during summer. This study highlights the partitioning of B1 synthesis, salvage, and uptake among microbial taxa, underscoring that transcriptional activity was more dynamic over time than changes in the genomic potential. Conclusions We emphasize the influence of environmental conditions on microbial community dynamics and B1 cycling in general, and the potential implications of global change-induced increases in filamentous Cyanobacteria blooms on vitamin food web transfer in particular.

Early microbial exposures from maternal microbes, milk components, and the environment shape infant gut development and long-term disease risk. The review highlights mechanisms, preventive levers, and...

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Scientists and clinicians working together on a pioneering project to learn more about the role of gut microbiome in childhood obesity

Malaria parasites use a protein called P47 to survive inside mosquito vectors and evade their immune defences. By adapting P47 to local vectors, they ensure compatability and transmission, making P47 ...

A landmark field study reveals widespread pollution of the Atlantic Ocean by nanoscale plastic debris — raising questions about the risk to marine ecosystems.

Lyme disease is a tick-borne disease prevalent across Europe and the US. Many patients however, do not recall a tick bite, leaving people wondering whether other arthropods like mosquitoes could be ve...

New methods for visualising and sequencing genetic material from a single cell are allowing scientists to explore fundamental questions about living systems.

Adding nematode collagen and chitin to soils could shape the microbiome, selecting for those microbes with the ability to fight these pathogen