This Virtual Issue is the first in our ‘Landmarks in Microbiology’ series. These collections will celebrate influential papers in the discipline published in the FEMS journals, as well as the exciting research that has grown from standing on the shoulders of these landmarks.
Our first collection focuses on anaerobic ammonium oxidation, or Anammox, a process first described in FEMS Microbiology Ecology in 1995. The papers that follow on from the original further explore this intriguing microbial metabolism, from reporting on environmental factors determining distribution and activity of anammox bacteria in minerotrophic fen soils, to deep-sea methane seep sediments in the Okhotsk Sea sustaining diverse and abundant anammox bacteria. These papers, spanning over two decades, show the wealth of knowledge we have come to understand, and start what we hope will be a fascinating series for our community.
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Landmark Paper
Further Anammox Research
Research article
Biogeochemical processes measurements highlight the occurrence of complex interactions between carbon, nitrogen and sulfur cycles in the water column of a permanently stratified European lake.
Biogeochemical processes measurements highlight the occurrence of complex interactions between carbon, nitrogen and sulfur cycles in the water column of a permanently stratified European lake.
Research article
This study proposes a slightly modified primer pair for freshwater anammox bacteria and demonstrates its applicability to a variety of molecular methods.
This study proposes a slightly modified primer pair for freshwater anammox bacteria and demonstrates its applicability to a variety of molecular methods.
Research article
Demystify the black box in wastewater treatment with molecular tools to save energy and reduce organic chemical demands.
Demystify the black box in wastewater treatment with molecular tools to save energy and reduce organic chemical demands.
Research article
Anammox was found to be diverse but poorly active in water-saturated and nitrate-bearing soil layers along a catena from an amended pasture to an ombrotrophic bog.
Anammox was found to be diverse but poorly active in water-saturated and nitrate-bearing soil layers along a catena from an amended pasture to an ombrotrophic bog.
Research article
The accumulation of nitrite, the high abundance of N cycling genes and the isotopic composition of nitrate indicate a very dynamic N cycling in the Mexican Pacific OMZ core.
The accumulation of nitrite, the high abundance of N cycling genes and the isotopic composition of nitrate indicate a very dynamic N cycling in the Mexican Pacific OMZ core.
Research article
Interactions between marine anammox bacteria and sulfide-oxidizing denitrifiers revealed by mimicking substrate fluctuations and substrate-limiting conditions.
Interactions between marine anammox bacteria and sulfide-oxidizing denitrifiers revealed by mimicking substrate fluctuations and substrate-limiting conditions.
Research article
Higher diversity of anammox bacteria in deep-sea surface sediments of the South China Sea than previously reported.
Higher diversity of anammox bacteria in deep-sea surface sediments of the South China Sea than previously reported.
Minireview
In this review, we highlight the most-wanted methane- and ammonia-oxidizing spookmicrobes discovered in the past quarter century.
In this review, we highlight the most-wanted methane- and ammonia-oxidizing spookmicrobes discovered in the past quarter century.
Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology
The prevalence and spatial distribution of anammox communities in autotrophic nitrogen removal wastewater treatment technologies as well as their role in formation of fixed biofilms.
The prevalence and spatial distribution of anammox communities in autotrophic nitrogen removal wastewater treatment technologies as well as their role in formation of fixed biofilms.
Research article
A cyanobacterial bloom significantly boosted hypolimnelic anammox bacterial abundance in a subtropical stratified reservoir, highlighting the carbon–nitrogen cycle coupling throughout the water column.
A cyanobacterial bloom significantly boosted hypolimnelic anammox bacterial abundance in a subtropical stratified reservoir, highlighting the carbon–nitrogen cycle coupling throughout the water column.
Larger granules harbor more diverse microbial communities.
Research article
Predation is assumed to be a major cause of bacterial mortality in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). Grazing on the slowly growing autotrophic ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and anaerobic ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AMX) may result in loss of biomass, which could compromise nitrogen removal by ...
Predation is assumed to be a major cause of bacterial mortality in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). Grazing on the slowly growing autotrophic ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and anaerobic ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AMX) may result in loss of biomass, which could compromise nitrogen removal by ...
Physiology and Biochemistry
This paper explores the early literature on the thermodynamics of processes in the microbial nitrogen cycle, evaluating parameters of transfer of energy which depends on the initial and final states of the system, the mechanism of the reactions involved and the rates of these reactions. Processes ...
This paper explores the early literature on the thermodynamics of processes in the microbial nitrogen cycle, evaluating parameters of transfer of energy which depends on the initial and final states of the system, the mechanism of the reactions involved and the rates of these reactions. Processes ...
research articles
We investigated the occurrence and activity of anaerobic ammonia oxidation (anammox) bacteria in sandy and muddy sand sediments of the southern North Sea. The presence of anammox bacteria was established through the detection of specific phosphocholine-monoether ladderane lipids, 16S rRNA gene, and ...
We investigated the occurrence and activity of anaerobic ammonia oxidation (anammox) bacteria in sandy and muddy sand sediments of the southern North Sea. The presence of anammox bacteria was established through the detection of specific phosphocholine-monoether ladderane lipids, 16S rRNA gene, and ...
Research Letters
A lipid-based protein immobilization technique was used to identify proteins essential for the anammox reaction in anammox bacteria, and the results were used to select linear epitopes for antibodies specifically targeted against an identified ATPase.
A lipid-based protein immobilization technique was used to identify proteins essential for the anammox reaction in anammox bacteria, and the results were used to select linear epitopes for antibodies specifically targeted against an identified ATPase.
research articles
Marginal sea methane seep sediments sustain highly productive chemosynthetic ecosystems and are hotspots of intense biogeochemical cycling. Rich methane supply stimulates rapid microbial consumption of oxygen; these systems are thus usually hypoxic to anoxic. This and reported evidence for resident ...
Marginal sea methane seep sediments sustain highly productive chemosynthetic ecosystems and are hotspots of intense biogeochemical cycling. Rich methane supply stimulates rapid microbial consumption of oxygen; these systems are thus usually hypoxic to anoxic. This and reported evidence for resident ...
Review Articles
Anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) bacteria make their living from the conversion of ammonium and nitrite into dinitrogen gas using a new route. Here, current concepts on this new route are reviewed and its connection with energy (ATP) conservation and biomass formation is discussed.
Anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) bacteria make their living from the conversion of ammonium and nitrite into dinitrogen gas using a new route. Here, current concepts on this new route are reviewed and its connection with energy (ATP) conservation and biomass formation is discussed.
Research Letters
The anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) and nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane-oxidizing (n-damo) bacteria in a paddy soil core (0–100 cm) were investigated with newly designed primers targeting the hydrazine synthase β-subunit ( hzs B) of anammox bacteria and the recently published primers ...
The anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) and nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane-oxidizing (n-damo) bacteria in a paddy soil core (0–100 cm) were investigated with newly designed primers targeting the hydrazine synthase β-subunit ( hzs B) of anammox bacteria and the recently published primers ...
research articles
Variations in the overall and depth-specific significance of anammox were measured using 15 N isotope experiments in both bioirrigated and undisturbed sediments of the Medway Estuary, UK. This was performed over two surveys, alongside FISH experiments, to identify and track shifts in the relative ...
Variations in the overall and depth-specific significance of anammox were measured using 15 N isotope experiments in both bioirrigated and undisturbed sediments of the Medway Estuary, UK. This was performed over two surveys, alongside FISH experiments, to identify and track shifts in the relative ...
Review Articles
For more than 100 years it was believed that bacteria were the only group responsible for the oxidation of ammonia. However, recently, a new strain of archaea bearing a putative ammonia monooxygenase subunit A ( amoA ) gene and able to oxidize ammonia was isolated from a marine aquarium tank. ...
For more than 100 years it was believed that bacteria were the only group responsible for the oxidation of ammonia. However, recently, a new strain of archaea bearing a putative ammonia monooxygenase subunit A ( amoA ) gene and able to oxidize ammonia was isolated from a marine aquarium tank. ...
Research Letters
Bacteria performing anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) are key players in the global nitrogen cycle due to their inherent ability to convert biologically available nitrogen to N 2 . Anammox is increasingly being exploited during wastewater treatment worldwide, and about 50% of the total N 2 ...
Bacteria performing anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) are key players in the global nitrogen cycle due to their inherent ability to convert biologically available nitrogen to N 2 . Anammox is increasingly being exploited during wastewater treatment worldwide, and about 50% of the total N 2 ...
research articles
Anammox, the oxidation of ammonium with nitrite to dinitrogen gas under anoxic conditions, is an important process in mesophilic environments such as wastewaters, oceans and freshwater systems, but little is known of this process at elevated temperatures. In this study, we investigated anammox in ...
Anammox, the oxidation of ammonium with nitrite to dinitrogen gas under anoxic conditions, is an important process in mesophilic environments such as wastewaters, oceans and freshwater systems, but little is known of this process at elevated temperatures. In this study, we investigated anammox in ...
Research Letters
Ladderane lipids are unusual membrane lipids of bacteria that anaerobically oxidize ammonium to dinitrogen gas (anammox). Ladderane lipids contain linearly concatenated cyclobutane rings for which the pathway of biosynthesis is currently unknown. To investigate the possible biosynthetic routes of ...
Ladderane lipids are unusual membrane lipids of bacteria that anaerobically oxidize ammonium to dinitrogen gas (anammox). Ladderane lipids contain linearly concatenated cyclobutane rings for which the pathway of biosynthesis is currently unknown. To investigate the possible biosynthetic routes of ...
Research Letters
An anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) process for ammonia-rich wastewater treatment has not been reported at temperatures below 15 °C. This study used a gel carrier with entrapped anammox bacteria to obtain a stable nitrogen removal performance at low temperatures. In a continuous feeding test, ...
An anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) process for ammonia-rich wastewater treatment has not been reported at temperatures below 15 °C. This study used a gel carrier with entrapped anammox bacteria to obtain a stable nitrogen removal performance at low temperatures. In a continuous feeding test, ...
Minireviews
Advances in technology have tremendously increased high throughput whole genome-sequencing efforts, many of which have included prokaryotes that facilitate processes in the extant nitrogen cycle. Molecular genetic and evolutionary analyses of these genomes paired with advances in postgenomics, ...
Advances in technology have tremendously increased high throughput whole genome-sequencing efforts, many of which have included prokaryotes that facilitate processes in the extant nitrogen cycle. Molecular genetic and evolutionary analyses of these genomes paired with advances in postgenomics, ...
research articles
Anaerobic ammonium oxidizing (anammox) bacteria are detected in many natural ecosystems and wastewater treatment plants worldwide. This study describes the enrichment of anammox bacteria in the presence of acetate. The results obtained extend the concept that the anammox bacteria can be enriched to ...
Anaerobic ammonium oxidizing (anammox) bacteria are detected in many natural ecosystems and wastewater treatment plants worldwide. This study describes the enrichment of anammox bacteria in the presence of acetate. The results obtained extend the concept that the anammox bacteria can be enriched to ...
Research Letters
To investigate uncharacterized microbial communities, a custom DNA microarray named ‘FloraArray’ was developed for screening specific probes that would represent the characteristics of a microbial community. The array was prepared by spotting 2000 plasmid DNAs from a genomic shotgun library of a ...
To investigate uncharacterized microbial communities, a custom DNA microarray named ‘FloraArray’ was developed for screening specific probes that would represent the characteristics of a microbial community. The array was prepared by spotting 2000 plasmid DNAs from a genomic shotgun library of a ...
Research Letters
The relationship of RNase P RNA from anammox bacteria ‘ Candidatus Brocadia anammoxidans’ and ‘ Candidatus Kuenenia stuttgartiensis’ with that from other Planctomycetes was investigated. Newly identified rnpB gene sequences were aligned against existing planctomycete RNase P RNA sequences and ...
The relationship of RNase P RNA from anammox bacteria ‘ Candidatus Brocadia anammoxidans’ and ‘ Candidatus Kuenenia stuttgartiensis’ with that from other Planctomycetes was investigated. Newly identified rnpB gene sequences were aligned against existing planctomycete RNase P RNA sequences and ...
Research Letters
Anammox bacteria present in wastewater treatment systems and marine environments are capable of anaerobically oxidizing ammonium to dinitrogen gas. This anammox metabolism takes place in the anammoxosome which membrane is composed of lipids with peculiar staircase-like ‘ladderane’ hydrocarbon ...
Anammox bacteria present in wastewater treatment systems and marine environments are capable of anaerobically oxidizing ammonium to dinitrogen gas. This anammox metabolism takes place in the anammoxosome which membrane is composed of lipids with peculiar staircase-like ‘ladderane’ hydrocarbon ...
Articles
The chemolithoautotrophic anammox bacterium Candidatus “ Kuenenia stuttgartiensis ” grows anaerobically using ammonium as electron donor for nitrite reduction. More than 10% of the proteins in cell extracts of “ K. stuttgartiensis ” consist of c -type heme proteins. A 10 kDa soluble cytochrome c ...
The chemolithoautotrophic anammox bacterium Candidatus “ Kuenenia stuttgartiensis ” grows anaerobically using ammonium as electron donor for nitrite reduction. More than 10% of the proteins in cell extracts of “ K. stuttgartiensis ” consist of c -type heme proteins. A 10 kDa soluble cytochrome c ...
Articles
Degenerate primers to detect nrfA were designed by aligning six nrfA sequences including Escherichia coli K-12, Sulfurospirillum deleyianum and Wolinella succinogenes . These primers amplified a 490 bp fragment of nrfA . The ability of these primers to detect nrfA was tested with chromosomal DNA ...
Degenerate primers to detect nrfA were designed by aligning six nrfA sequences including Escherichia coli K-12, Sulfurospirillum deleyianum and Wolinella succinogenes . These primers amplified a 490 bp fragment of nrfA . The ability of these primers to detect nrfA was tested with chromosomal DNA ...
Minireview
Anammox bacteria belong to the phylum Planctomycetes and perform an aerobic amm onium ox idation (anammox); they oxidize ammonium with nitrite as the electron acceptor to yield dinitrogen gas. The anammox reaction takes place inside the anammoxosome: an intracytoplasmic compartment bounded by a ...
Anammox bacteria belong to the phylum Planctomycetes and perform an aerobic amm onium ox idation (anammox); they oxidize ammonium with nitrite as the electron acceptor to yield dinitrogen gas. The anammox reaction takes place inside the anammoxosome: an intracytoplasmic compartment bounded by a ...
Articles
Many countries strive to reduce the emissions of nitrogen compounds (ammonia, nitrate, NO x ) to the surface waters and the atmosphere. Since mainstream domestic wastewater treatment systems are usually already overloaded with ammonia, a dedicated nitrogen removal from concentrated secondary or ...
Many countries strive to reduce the emissions of nitrogen compounds (ammonia, nitrate, NO x ) to the surface waters and the atmosphere. Since mainstream domestic wastewater treatment systems are usually already overloaded with ammonia, a dedicated nitrogen removal from concentrated secondary or ...
Articles
Anoxic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) and Completely Autotrophic Nitrogen removal Over Nitrite (CANON) are new and promising microbial processes to remove ammonia from wastewaters characterized by a low content of organic materials. These two processes were investigated on their feasibility and ...
Anoxic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) and Completely Autotrophic Nitrogen removal Over Nitrite (CANON) are new and promising microbial processes to remove ammonia from wastewaters characterized by a low content of organic materials. These two processes were investigated on their feasibility and ...
Minireview
The biological nitrogen cycle is a complex interplay between many microorganisms catalyzing different reactions. For a long time, ammonia and nitrite oxidation by chemolithoautotrophic nitrifiers were thought to be restricted to oxic environments and the metabolic flexibility of these organisms ...
The biological nitrogen cycle is a complex interplay between many microorganisms catalyzing different reactions. For a long time, ammonia and nitrite oxidation by chemolithoautotrophic nitrifiers were thought to be restricted to oxic environments and the metabolic flexibility of these organisms ...
