metagenome
Enzymology and Protein EngineeringA Novel d-Allulose 3-Epimerase Gene from the Metagenome of a Thermal Aquatic Habitat and d-Allulose Production by Bacillus subtilis Whole-Cell Catalysisd-Allulose is a noncaloric sugar substitute with antidiabetes and antiobesity potential. With several characteristics of physiological significance, d-allulose has wide-ranging applications in the food and pharmacology industries. The development of a thermostable biocatalyst is an objective of mainstream research aimed at achieving industrial acceptability of the enzyme. Aquatic habitats...
Environmental MicrobiologyNew Microbial Lineages Capable of Carbon Fixation and Nutrient Cycling in Deep-Sea Sediments of the Northern South China SeaSedimentary microorganisms in the South China Sea (SCS) remain largely unknown due to the complexity of sediment communities impacted by continent rifting and extension. Distinct geochemical environments may breed special microbial communities including microbes that are still enigmatic. Functional inference of their metabolisms and transcriptional activity provides insight in the ecological roles and substrate-based interactivity of...
Environmental MicrobiologyNiche Differentiation among Three Closely Related Competibacteraceae Clades at a Full-Scale Activated Sludge Wastewater Treatment Plant and Putative Linkages to Process PerformanceMembers of the Competibacter lineage are relevant in biotechnology as glycogen-accumulating organisms (GAOs). Here, we document the presence of three Competibacteraceae clades in a full-scale activated sludge wastewater treatment plant and their linkage to specific operational conditions. We find evidence for niche differentiation among the three clades with temporal variability in clade dominance that correlates with...
Microbial EcologyUbiquity and Diversity of Complete Ammonia Oxidizers (Comammox)The discovery of complete ammonia oxidizers (comammox), which oxidize ammonia to nitrate via nitrite, refutes the century-old paradigm that nitrification requires the activity of two types of microbes and redefines a key process in the biogeochemical nitrogen cycle. Understanding the functional relationships between comammox and other nitrifiers is important for ecological studies on the nitrogen cycle. Therefore, the diversity and...
- Enzymology and Protein EngineeringA Novel Subfamily Esterase with a Homoserine Transacetylase-like Fold but No Transferase Activity