Archaeal uptake of enantiomeric amino acids in the meso- and bathypelagic waters of the North Atlantic

Author(s)
Eva Teira, Hendrik Van Aken, Cornelis Veth, Gerhard J. Herndl
Abstract

We determined the contribution of the three major prokaryotic groups (Bacteria, Crenarchaeota, and Euryarchaeota) on the uptake of D- and L-aspartic acid (Asp) in the major water masses of the North Atlantic (from 100-to 4,000-m depth) with the use of microautoradiography combined with catalyzed reporter deposition fluorescence in situ hybridization (MICRO-CARD-FISH). The percentage of prokaryotic cells that assimilated D- and L-Asp ranged from <5% to 25%. In the meso- and bathypelagic waters of the North Atlantic, Archaea are more abundant (42% ± 2% of 4′,6′-diamino-2-phenylindole [DAPI]-stained cells) than Bacteria (30% ± 1% of DAPI-stained cells), and more archaeal than bacterial cells are actively incorporating D-Asp (62% ± 2% vs. 38% ± 2% of total D-Asp active cells). In contrast, Bacteria and Archaea almost equally contribute to L-Asp use in the deep waters of the North Atlantic (47% ± 2% vs. 53% ± 2% of total L-Asp active cells). The increase in the D-Asp:L-Asp uptake ratio in the prokaryotic community with depth appears to be driven by the efficient uptake of D-Asp by, especially, the Crenarchaeota in the deep waters. Because Archaea, and particularly Crenarchaeota, commonly dominate the prokaryotic communities in the ocean's interior, we suggest that they represent a previously unrecognized sink of D-amino acids in the deep ocean.

Organisation(s)
External organisation(s)
Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research
Journal
Limnology and Oceanography
Volume
51
Pages
60-69
No. of pages
10
ISSN
0024-3590
DOI
https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.2006.51.1.0060
Publication date
01-2006
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
106021 Marine biology
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Oceanography, Aquatic Science
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG 14 - Life Below Water
Portal url
https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/en/publications/archaeal-uptake-of-enantiomeric-amino-acids-in-the-meso-and-bathypelagic-waters-of-the-north-atlantic(58518dff-fbed-427b-b73a-54fde136f08a).html