Direct utilization of polysaccharides for methane production by a single deep-sea methanogen

Direct utilization of polysaccharides for methane production by a single deep-sea methanogen | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Biological Sciences - Article Direct utilization of polysaccharides for methane production by a single deep-sea methanogen Chaomin Sun, Rikuan Zheng, Chong Wang This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6500675/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Methanogenesis has traditionally been associated with a limited range of low-molecular-weight (LMW) substrates (MW < 1,000 Da), including CO 2 , acetate, methylated compounds (e.g., methanol, methylamines), methoxylated aromatic compounds, and alkanes. However, the direct utilization of high-molecular-weight (HMW) organic matter (MW > 1,000 Da), such as polysaccharides, for methane production by methanogens has not been reported. Here, we show that a novel deep-sea methanogenic archaeon, strain ZRKC1, can directly utilize polysaccharides, particularly methyl-esterified forms (e.g., pectin), for methane production. This discovery expands the known substrate range for methanogenesis and unveils a new metabolic pathway distinct from previously characterized mechanisms. Furthermore, strain ZRKC1 uniquely couples polysaccharide utilization with inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) metabolism, accumulating polyP from organic phosphates released during polysaccharide hydrolysis. Importantly, we demonstrate that polyP formation is essential for both growth and methanogenesis in strain ZRKC1, revealing a previously unrecognized metabolic dependency and suggesting that polyP regulates carbon flux in methanogens. This is the first report of polysaccharide- and polyP-dependent growth in methanogens, presenting a novel metabolic strategy for energy conservation and adaptation to nutrient-limited environments and underscoring the ecological significance of methanogens in global carbon and phosphorus cycles. Biological sciences/Microbiology/Archaea/Archaeal biology Earth and environmental sciences/Biogeochemistry/Element cycles Polysaccharide polyphosphate deep sea methanogenesis carbon and phosphorus cycles Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SupplementaryTables.xlsx Supplementary Tables 1-3 Supplementalinformation.pdf Supplementary methods Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6500675","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Biological Sciences - Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":456550123,"identity":"ff3dd1e1-7d78-4402-94f0-d026c01d7d8a","order_by":0,"name":"Chaomin 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