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Volatile Signals and Biosynthetic Gene Cluster Diversity in Methanotrophs: Implications for Methane Cycling

Microbial volatilomics,Functional ecology,Methane,Environmental microbiology

Theme 4: Microbial and Biogeochemical Evolution through Time > Session 4d: Biogeochemical Methane Cycle: Past, Present, and Future

Methane-oxidizing bacteria (methanotrophs) are central players in mitigating methane emissions, yet their ability to produce secondary metabolites and interact chemically with their environment remains poorly understood. We combined volatile profiling and comparative genomics to explore the ecological roles of secondary metabolites in aerobic methanotrophs. Volatile organic compounds were analyzed from four representative methanotrophic strains under controlled laboratory conditions, revealing species-specific profiles and the consistent production of the terpene germacrene by Methylobacter luteus. A meta-analysis of 62 cultured strains and 289 metagenome-assembled genomes revealed a diverse array of biosynthetic gene clusters, with terpenes and betalactones enriched in the methanotrophic families Methylocystaceae and Beijerinckiaceae, and aryl polyenes predominating in Methylococcaceae. These distributions were linked to both phylogeny and habitat, suggesting evolutionary and ecological drivers of secondary metabolite production. Our findings support the idea that methanotrophs use secondary metabolites for competitive and communicative functions in complex microbial communities. This work contributes to a broader understanding of the metabolic versatility of methanotrophs and their ecological roles beyond methane oxidation, with implications for microbial interactions and greenhouse gas fluxes.