Metagenomic assembly of the iron-reducing, 1-methylnaphthalene-degrading enrichment culture (1MN)

The enrichment culture 1MN degrades 1-methylnaphthalene with ferrihydrite as electron acceptor. The culture is comprised of two major organisms affiliated to Thermoanaerobacteriaceae and Desulfobulbaceae closely related to groundwater cable bacteria, and two organisms of minor abundance from the Anaerolineaceae and the Atopobiaceae. The Thermoanaerobacteriaceae were identified as the degraders of naphthalene. The function of the other members in culture 1MN is still unresolved and might provide some insights into microbial interactions during hydrocarbon degradation and the role of cable bacteria in anoxic environments. Therefore, the elucidation of the function and the metabolic potential of the different members of culture 1MN is the major goal of the present study.