Wegener, Gunter


Publications
8

Candidatus Alkanophaga archaea from Guaymas Basin hydrothermal vent sediment oxidize petroleum alkanes

Citation
Zehnle et al. (2023). Nature Microbiology 8 (7)
Names
Ca. Alkanophaga Ca. Syntrophoarchaeum Ca. Thermodesulfobacterium syntrophicum
Abstract
AbstractMethanogenic and methanotrophic archaea produce and consume the greenhouse gas methane, respectively, using the reversible enzyme methyl-coenzyme M reductase (Mcr). Recently, Mcr variants that can activate multicarbon alkanes have been recovered from archaeal enrichment cultures. These enzymes, called alkyl-coenzyme M reductase (Acrs), are widespread in the environment but remain poorly understood. Here we produced anoxic cultures degrading mid-chain petroleum n-alkanes between pentane (

Candidatus Alkanophaga archaea from heated hydrothermal vent sediment oxidize petroleum alkanes

Citation
Zehnle et al. (2022).
Names
Ca. Alkanophaga Ca. Syntrophoarchaeum
Abstract
Abstract The methyl-coenzyme M reductase (Mcr) enables archaea to produce and oxidize methane, critically impacting the global greenhouse gas budget. Recently cultured archaea activate short- and long-chain n-alkanes with divergent Mcr variants, termed alkyl-coenzyme M reductases (Acrs). Here, we probed the anaerobic oxidation of mid-chain petroleum alkanes at 70°C using oil-rich sediments from the Guaymas Basin. Incubations with alkanes from pentane to tetradecane produced active cultur

Candidatus Ethanoperedens,” a Thermophilic Genus of Archaea Mediating the Anaerobic Oxidation of Ethane

Citation
Hahn et al. (2020). mBio 11 (2)
Names
“Caldatribacteriota” Ca. Argarchaeum “Desulfofervidus auxilii” Ca. Ethanoperedens Ca. Ethanoperedens thermophilum
Abstract
In the seabed, gaseous alkanes are oxidized by syntrophic microbial consortia that thereby reduce fluxes of these compounds into the water column. Because of the immense quantities of seabed alkane fluxes, these consortia are key catalysts of the global carbon cycle. Due to their obligate syntrophic lifestyle, the physiology of alkane-degrading archaea remains poorly understood. We have now cultivated a thermophilic, relatively fast-growing ethane oxidizer in partnership with a sulfate-reducing

Candidatus Ethanoperedens, a thermophilic genus of archaea mediating the anaerobic oxidation of ethane

Citation
Hahn et al. (2020).
Names
Ca. Argarchaeum “Desulfofervidus auxilii” Ca. Ethanoperedens Ca. Ethanoperedens thermophilum
Abstract
ABSTRACTCold seeps and hydrothermal vents deliver large amounts of methane and other gaseous alkanes into marine surface sediments. Consortia of archaea and partner bacteria thrive on the oxidation of these alkanes and its coupling to sulfate reduction. The inherently slow growth of the involved organisms and the lack of pure cultures have impeded the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of archaeal alkane degradation. Here, using hydrothermal sediments of the Guaymas Basin (Gulf of Califor

Anaerobic Degradation of Non-Methane Alkanes by “ Candidatus Methanoliparia” in Hydrocarbon Seeps of the Gulf of Mexico

Citation
Laso-Pérez et al. (2019). mBio 10 (4)
Names
Ca. Argarchaeum Methanoliparia Ca. Syntrophoarchaeum Methanoliparum thermophilum Ts
Abstract
Oil-rich sediments from the Gulf of Mexico were found to contain diverse alkane-degrading groups of archaea. The symbiotic, consortium-forming “ Candidatus Argoarchaeum” and “ Candidatus Syntrophoarchaeum” are likely responsible for the degradation of ethane and short-chain alkanes, with the help of sulfate-reducing bacteria. “ Ca. Methanoliparia” occurs as single cells associated with oil droplets. These archae