Aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria (AAPB) contribute profoundly to the global carbon cycle. However, most AAPB in marine environments are uncultured and at low abundance, hampering the recognition of their functions and molecular mechanisms. In this study, we developed a new culture-independent method to identify and sort AAPB using single-cell Raman/fluorescence spectroscopy. Characteristic Raman and fluorescent bands specific to bacteriochlorophyll a (Bchl a) in AAPB were determined by comparing multiple known AAPB with non-AAPB isolates. Using these spectroscopic biomarkers, AAPB in coastal seawater, pelagic seawater, and hydrothermal sediment samples were screened, sorted, and sequenced. 16S rRNA gene analysis and functional gene annotations of sorted cells revealed novel AAPB members and functional genes, including one species belonging to the genus Sphingomonas, two genera affiliated to classes Betaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria, and function genes bchCDIX, pucC2, and pufL related to Bchl a biosynthesis and photosynthetic reaction center assembly. Metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of sorted cells from pelagic seawater and deep-sea hydrothermal sediment belonged to Erythrobacter sanguineus that was considered as an AAPB and genus Sphingomonas, respectively. Moreover, multiple photosynthesis-related genes were annotated in both MAGs, and comparative genomic analysis revealed several exclusive genes involved in amino acid and inorganic ion metabolism and transport. This study employed a new single-cell spectroscopy method to detect AAPB, not only broadening the taxonomic and genetic contents of AAPB in marine environments but also revealing their genetic mechanisms at the single-genomic level.
Keywords: Raman/fluorescence spectroscopy; Sphingomonadales; aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria; bacteriochlorophyll a; pelagic environments; single-cell microbiology.