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https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1880
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1880
25 Jun 2024
 | 25 Jun 2024

Exometabolomic exploration of culturable airborne microorganisms from an urban atmosphere

Rui Jin, Wei Hu, Peimin Duan, Ming Sheng, Dandan Liu, Ziye Huang, Mutong Niu, Libin Wu, Junjun Deng, and Pingqing Fu

Abstract. The interactions of metabolically active atmospheric microorganisms with cloud organic matter can alter the atmospheric carbon cycle. Upon deposition, atmospheric microorganisms can influence microbial communities in surface Earth systems. However, the metabolic activities of cultivable atmospheric microorganisms in settled habitats remain less understood. Here, we investigated exometabolites produced by typical bacterial and fungal species isolated from the urban atmosphere to elucidate their biogeochemical roles. Molecular compositions of exometabolites were analyzed using ultra-high resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. Annotation through the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes database helped identify metabolic processes. Results showed that bacterial and fungal strains produce exometabolites with lower H/C and higher O/C ratios than consumed and resistant compounds. CHON compounds constituted over 50 % of the identified formulas of exometabolites. Bacterial exometabolites contained more abundant CHONS compounds (25.2 %), while fungal exometabolites were rich in CHO compounds (31.7 %). These microbial exometabolites predominantly comprised aliphatic/peptide-like and carboxyl-rich alicyclic molecules (CRAM-like). Significant variations in metabolites were observed among different strains. Bacteria showed a performance for amino acid synthesis, while fungi were more active in transcription and expression processes. Lipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and carbohydrate metabolism varied widely among bacterial strains, while fungi exhibited marked differences in carbohydrate metabolism and secondary metabolism. This comprehensive examination of metabolite characteristics at the molecular level for typical culturable airborne microorganisms enhances our understanding of their potential metabolic activities at air-land/water interfaces. These insights are pivotal for assessing the biogeochemical impacts of atmospheric microorganisms following their deposition.

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Rui Jin, Wei Hu, Peimin Duan, Ming Sheng, Dandan Liu, Ziye Huang, Mutong Niu, Libin Wu, Junjun Deng, and Pingqing Fu

Status: final response (author comments only)

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-1880', Anonymous Referee #1, 01 Jul 2024
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-1880', Teruya Maki, 03 Aug 2024
  • RC3: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-1880', Anonymous Referee #3, 06 Aug 2024
  • AC1: 'Response to comments from reviewers-egusphere-2024-1880', Wei HU, 28 Sep 2024
Rui Jin, Wei Hu, Peimin Duan, Ming Sheng, Dandan Liu, Ziye Huang, Mutong Niu, Libin Wu, Junjun Deng, and Pingqing Fu
Rui Jin, Wei Hu, Peimin Duan, Ming Sheng, Dandan Liu, Ziye Huang, Mutong Niu, Libin Wu, Junjun Deng, and Pingqing Fu

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Short summary
The metabolic capacity of atmospheric microorganisms after settling into habitats is poorly understood. We studied the molecular composition of exometabolites for cultured typical airborne microbes and traced their metabolic processes. Bacteria and fungi produce highly oxidized exometabolite and have significant variations in metabolism among different strains. These insights are pivotal for assessing the biogeochemical impacts of atmospheric microorganisms following their deposition.