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Science 15 December 2006:
Vol. 314. no. 5806, pp. 1783 - 1786
DOI: 10.1126/science.1134772
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Reports

Nitrogen Fixation at 92°C by a Hydrothermal Vent Archaeon

Mausmi P. Mehta* and John A. Baross

A methanogenic archaeon isolated from deep-sea hydrothermal vent fluid was found to reduce N2 to NH3 at up to 92°C, which is 28°C higher than the current upper temperature limit of biological nitrogen fixation. The 16S ribosomal RNA gene of the hyperthermophilic nitrogen fixer, designated FS406-22, was 99% similar to that of non–nitrogen fixing Methanocaldococcus jannaschii DSM 2661. At its optimal growth temperature of 90°C, FS406-22 incorporated 15N2 and expressed nifH messenger RNA. This increase in the temperature limit of nitrogen fixation could reveal a broader range of conditions for life in the subseafloor biosphere and other nitrogen-limited ecosystems than previously estimated.

School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: mausmi{at}alum.mit.edu

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)