T. Kieft, D. Moser, D.
Boutt, H. Wang, L.
Murdoch, C. Anderson, L.
Stetler, S. Bang, R. Sani,
B. Roggenthen, B.
Mailloux, K. Nordstrom, B.
Sherwood Lollar, J.
Lippmann-Pipke, R.
Stepanauskas, D.
Emerson, S. Pffifner, T.
Phelps, P. Long, K.
Pedersen, T. Tokunaga,
G. Slater, M. Conrad, H.
Dong, E. vanHeerden, K.
Takai and many others
Communicated by T.C.
Onstott
Evander
3.0 Ga basement
2.0 Ga meteorite impact
Uplift ~2 km at 90 Myr
How long can deep, sequestered
microbial communities survive?
Evander
Down Where
No Lion Walked
– J. Oxley
Cells/ml or Cells/g
10
102
103
0.0
Depth (km)
1.0
2.0
3.0
Pfiffner et al. 2006
4.0
104
105
106
107
108
Water, CH4 and H2
0
d2HCH4 (‰)
Lo Salinity
d13C-DIC > -15o/oo
Lo H2
-100
Thermogenic
-200
-300
Microbial
-400
Abiogenic
-500
-65
-55
Hi Salinity
d13C-DIC < -15o/oo
Hi H2
-45
d13CCH4 (‰)
Sherwood Lollar et al. 2006
-35
-25
-50
Thermogenic
C4
C4
-150
C1
C3
d2H (‰)
-250
C3
0m
C2
KL739
C2
685m
KL1
-350
MP109
C1
DR938H3
MP104
DR548
-450
-54
-49
Sherwood Lollar et al. 2006
-44
-39
d13C (‰)
-34
-29
-24
CH4 + 2H2O => 4H2 + CO2
10-1
Avg. Crust
Abiogenic CH4
Biogenic CH4
Lippmann et
al. 2003
H2 (M)
10-3
10-5
Lin et al.
2005
10-7
  H 2O  H 2  e   H   H  OH   H 2O2
~1 nM yr-1
10-9
10-7
Onstott et al. 2006
10-6
10-5
10-4
He (M)
10-3
10-2
10-1
Ciccarelli et al. 2005
Large hollow carbon spheres
Desulforudis audaxviator
Small ‘grape like’ clusters
of carbon spheres
Complete genome
Nitrogenase
8e-+
Flagella
18ATP
CO2+H2O
endospore
rubrerythrin
SO42-
APS-SO42-
e-
HS-
SO32-
H2O
HCOO-
+ Pi
+THF
CO2
+THF-CH3
+CoA
+
CO Acetyl-CoA
HCOO-
e-
CO2+H2
2H+
2e- 2H+
PO43- Na+ SO42-
2e-
cations
anions
sugars
Pentose phosphate
pathway
Glycolysis
Acetyl-CoA
Citric acid
Cycle
Fe
ATP
CO2
CO2
H+
Formate
hydrogenlyase
complex
H2
H2
2.3 Mb with 2241 ORF's
H+
H+
Na+
NH3
2Na+
Ca2+
HPK(9)
RR(19)
Signal
Transduction
ATP
2H+
MCP(5)
ADP
+ Pi
2e-
F420
FoF1-ATPase
SDH
Hme
H+
ADP
+ Pi
K+ Fe2+ NH4+ CrO42-
organic
synthesis
sythase
Fe, Ni
Qmo
ATP
H2O2
N2
AA, NA, NAD
synthesis
NH3+ H2
gln
Gln synthetase
ADP
dipeptide and other AA
O2-
superoxide dismustase
Formate DH
Sec-dep
protein
Sec-indep
protein
branched chain AA
Co2+
H2
LDH
2H+
Mg2+
Zn2+
Mn2+
Gluconeogenesis
gas
vesicle
Ni2+
polar AA
antimicrobial
peptide
efflux
lipo prot.
export
polysacc.
export
multidrug
export
type IV
pilus
Transport
CrO42MoO42- RSO2OWO42- CO323PO4 SO42- NO3- Fe3+
H+ Na+?
ATP
Synthesis
Lactate
Nitrogenase
8e-+
Flagella
18ATP
CO2+H2O
endospore
rubrerythrin
HSH- 2S
H+
SO42- APS-SO42- SO32-
H2O
HCOO-
+ Pi
+THF
+THF-CH3
+CoA
+
CO Acetyl-CoA
CO2
cations
anions
sugars
ATP
H2O2
N2
AA, NA, NAD
synthesis
NH3+ H2
gln
Gln synthetase
ADP
dipeptide and other AA
O2-
superoxide dismustase
Formate DH
Sec-dep
protein
Sec-indep
protein
branched chain AA
Co2+
ADP
+ Pi
K+ Fe2+ NH4+ CrO42-
ATP
H+
Na+
NH3
organic
synthesis
Pentose phosphate
pathway
Glycolysis
Acetyl-CoA
e-
e-
CO2+H2
2H+
2e- 2H+
Fe, Ni
Qmo
Signal RR(19)
Transduction
HPK(9)
MCP(5)
CO2
ATP
2H+
2e-
F420
CO2
ADP
+ Pi
FoF1-ATPase
Lactate
SDH
H+
Formate
hydrogenlyase
CO2 complex
H2
H2
H2
H+ Na+?
Na+
H2
H2 O 2
H2
4H+ 2SO42-
Fe
Hme
H+
PO43- Na+ SO42-
2e-
Citric acid
Cycle
2Na+
Ca2+
sythase
HCOO-
H+
LDH
2H+
Mg2+
Zn2+
Mn2+
Gluconeogenesis
gas
vesicle
Ni2+
polar AA
antimicrobial
peptide
efflux
lipo prot.
export
polysacc.
export
multidrug
export
type IV
pilus
CrO42MoO42- RSO2OWO42- CO323PO4 SO42- NO3- Fe3+
2H2O
HCO
Ca2+ 3HCO3-
2H+
2H2O Ca2+
2H2O
H2O2
FeS2
2H+
, b, g
U2O4
CaCO3
NaAlSi3O8
Nitrogenase
8e-+
Flagella
18ATP
CO2+H2O
rubrerythrin
H2S
endospore
H2O
HCOO-
+ Pi
+THF
CO2
+THF-CH3
+CoA
+
CO Acetyl-CoA
cations
anions
sugars
ATP
H2O2
N2
AA, NA, NAD
synthesis
NH3+ H2
gln
Gln synthetase
ADP
dipeptide and other AA
O2-
superoxide dismustase
Formate DH
Sec-dep
protein
Sec-indep
protein
branched chain AA
Co2+
ADP
+ Pi
K+ Fe2+ NH4+ CrO42-
ATP
NH3
organic
synthesis
Pentose phosphate
pathway
Glycolysis
Acetyl-CoA
Na+
Signal RR(19)
Transduction
HPK(9)
MCP(5)
sythase
e-
e-
HCOO-
CO2+H2
2H+
2e- 2H+
Fe, Ni
Qmo
PO43SO42-
2e-
Citric acid
Cycle
Fe
CO2
CO2
2Na+
Ca2+
ATP
2H+
ADP
+ Pi
LDH
2H+
Mg2+
Zn2+
Mn2+
Gluconeogenesis
gas
vesicle
Ni2+
polar AA
antimicrobial
peptide
efflux
lipo prot.
export
polysacc.
export
multidrug
export
type IV
pilus
Transport
CrO42MoO42- RSO2OWO42- CO323PO4 SO42- NO3- Fe3+
2e-
F420
FoF1-ATPase
Lactate
SDH
Hme
Formate
hydrogenlyase
complex
H2
HCO2-
H2
H2
Na+
H+
HCO
2+ 3
Ca
HCO3- H+
2H2O Ca2+
H+
FeS2
U2O4
CaCO3
NaAlSi3O8
Candidate species - Desulforudis Audaxviator
Courtesy of G. Southam, UWO
2 mm
0.1 mm
"In Sneffels Joculis craterem quem delibat Umbra Scartaris Julii intra
calendas descende, Audax viator, et terrestre centrum attinges.”
("Descend, bold traveller, into the crater of the Jokul of Sneffels, which
the shadow of Scartaris touches before the kalends of July, and you will
attain the center of the earth.”)
-- Hidden message deciphered from an Icelandic saga that prompts
Professor Lidenbrock to undertake his travels in Jules Verne’s “Journey
to the Center of the Earth”
H. Mephisto
Other bacteria
CH4
Abiogenic
Hydrocarbons
Methanogens
CO2
H2S
SRBs
H2 CO2
H2
SO4
Water + radiation + rock  energy
H2O2
Implications for Life Beneath Mars