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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2025.05.17.654656

Microbially-mediated halogenation and dehalogenation cycling of organohalides in the ocean

Zhou, N.·Li, Q.·Liang, Z.·Yu, K.·Zhang, C.·Wang, H.·Li, P.·He, Z.·Wang, S.
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Abstract

Microbially mediated organohalide cycling in the ocean has profound implications for global element cycles and climate, but the phylogeny, coding potential, and distribution of the halogenation-dehalogenation cycling microorganisms remain unknown. Here, we construct an organohalide-cycling database (HaloCycDB) to explore the global atlas of halogenation-dehalogenation cycling genes and microorganisms in the ocean from 1,473 marine metagenomes. FlaHase and HyDase/RDase as predominant halogenase- and dehalogenase-encoding genes account for 80.24% of all potential organohalide-cycling activities. We identify 80.91% RDase and 91.35% RDase-containing prokaryotes as unknown organohalide-cycling genes and microorganisms, respectively, which greatly expand the diversity of dehalogenation phylogeny and coding potential. Further integration of microbial cultivation with protein structure prediction and molecular docking elucidates 4 unique "microorganism-enzyme-organohalide" patterns for organohalide dehalogenation in the ocean. Our results provide the first insight into microbial halogenation-dehalogenation cycling of organohalides and associated yet-to-be-explored resources in the ocean.

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Zhou, N., Li, Q., Liang, Z., Yu, K., Zhang, C., Wang, H., Li, P., He, Z., Wang, S.. 2025-05-21. Microbially-mediated halogenation and dehalogenation cycling of organohalides in the ocean. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.05.17.654656

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