Methanothermococcus sp. strain Ax23: A New Thermophilic Methanogen Isolated from a Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vent and its Implications for Detecting Extraterrestrial Life

Presenter

Gabriella Rizzo

Campus

UMass Amherst

Sponsor

James F. Holden, Department of Microbiology, UMass Amherst

Schedule

Session 4, 2:30 PM - 3:15 PM [Schedule by Time][Poster Grid for Time/Location]

Location

Poster Board A43, Campus Center Auditorium, Row 3 (A41-A60) [Poster Location Map]

Abstract

Deep-sea hydrothermal vents are extreme environments characterized by high temperatures, high

pressure, and unique geochemical conditions lacking sunlight. They are terrestrial analogs for

putative hydrothermal vents on other ocean worlds in our solar system, such as Europa and

Enceladus, where microbial life may exist. In this study, a new thermophilic methanogen, named

strain Ax23, was isolated in 2023 from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent at Axial Seamount in the

northeast Pacific Ocean. The strain grew at 65°C in synthetic seawater using H₂ and CO₂ as

carbon and energy sources producing CH₄ as a product and replicated itself every 47 min. Partial

16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that the strain is 99.3% identical to the thermophilic

methanogen Methanothermococcus okinawensis. Ongoing work will characterize this organism

genetically through whole genome sequencing and phenotypically through growth experiments

and electron microscopy. The organism will be used to model life in the sub-seafloor and its

implications for modern marine environments, life on the early Earth, and potential life on other

ocean worlds.

Keywords

Astrobiology, Geomicrobiology, Microbiology, Hydrothermal vents

Research Area

Biological Organisms

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