Genotypic and phenotypic characterization of hydrogenotrophic denitrifiers

Abstract

Summary Stimulating litho‐autotrophic denitrification in aquifers with hydrogen is a promising strategy to remove excess NO 3 − , but it often entails accumulation of the cytotoxic intermediate NO 2 − and the greenhouse gas N 2 O. To explore if these high NO 2 − and N 2 O concentrations are caused by differences in the genomic composition, the regulation of gene transcription or the kinetics of the reductases involved, we isolated hydrogenotrophic denitrifiers from a polluted aquifer, performed whole‐genome sequencing and investigated their phenotypes. We therefore assessed the kinetics of NO 2 − , NO, N 2 O, N 2 and O 2 as they depleted O 2 and transitioned to denitrification with NO 3 − as the only electron acceptor and hydrogen as the electron donor. Isolates with a complete denitrification pathway, although differing intermediate accumulation, were closely related to Dechloromonas denitrificans , Ferribacterium limneticum or Hydrogenophaga taeniospiralis . High NO 2 − accumulation was associated with the reductases' kinetics. While available, electrons only flowed towards NO 3 − in the narG ‐containing H . taeniospiralis but flowed concurrently to all denitrification intermediates in the napA ‐containing D . denitrificans and F . limneticum . The denitrification regulator RegAB, present in the napA strains, may further secure low intermediate accumulation. High N 2 O accumulation only occurred during the transition to denitrification and is thus likely caused by delayed N 2 O reductase expression.

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