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      Metabolic potential of lithifying cyanobacteria-dominated thrombolitic mats.

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          Abstract

          Thrombolites are unlaminated carbonate deposits formed by the metabolic activities of microbial mats and can serve as potential models for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the formation of lithifying communities. To assess the metabolic complexity of these ecosystems, high throughput DNA sequencing of a thrombolitic mat metagenome was coupled with phenotypic microarray analysis. Functional protein analysis of the thrombolite community metagenome delineated several of the major metabolic pathways that influence carbonate mineralization including cyanobacterial photosynthesis, sulfate reduction, sulfide oxidation, and aerobic heterotrophy. Spatial profiling of metabolite utilization within the thrombolite-forming microbial mats suggested that the top 5 mm contained a more metabolically diverse and active community than the deeper within the mat. This study provides evidence that despite the lack of mineral layering within the clotted thrombolite structure there is a vertical gradient of metabolic activity within the thrombolitic mat community. This metagenomic profiling also serves as a foundation for examining the active role individual functional groups of microbes play in coordinating metabolisms that lead to mineralization.

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          Author and article information

          Journal
          Photosynth Res
          Photosynthesis research
          Springer Science and Business Media LLC
          1573-5079
          0166-8595
          Nov 2013
          : 118
          : 1-2
          Affiliations
          [1 ] Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Space Life Sciences Lab, Kennedy Space Center, FL, 32899, USA.
          Article
          NIHMS922435
          10.1007/s11120-013-9890-6
          5766932
          23868401
          f6c0988c-293f-49e3-9456-727dfd2ce88a
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