PNNL

Abstract

As a constituent of dissolved organic matter, DNA may be consumed by microorganisms inhabiting various freshwater and marine environments. In this study, we demonstrate that dissolved extracellular DNA can serve as a sole source of carbon, energy, nitrogen, and phosphorus for microorganisms residing in the upper layer of Columbia River (WA, USA) water column as well as a sole source of phosphorus for the dissimilatory metal-reducing bacteria Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 and Geobacter sulfurreducens and for Bacillus subtilis ATCC 49760. Our results suggest that DNA assimilation by S. oneidensis is linked to the activity of Ca2+-dependent nuclease(s) and extracellular phosphatase(s). The ability to use DNA as the sole source of phosphorus may be of particular ecological advantage for microorganisms living under Fe(III)-reducing conditions where bioavailability of inorganic phosphate may be limited by the formation of vivianite [Fe3(PO4)2•8H20].