{"entity": "researcher", "timestamp": "2026-08-22T06:58:05.829Z", "family": "Bell", "given": "Emma", "initials": "E", "orcid": "0000-0002-2064-6496", "affiliations": ["Environmental Microbiology Laboratory, Environmental Engineering Institute, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, \u00c9cole Polytechnique F\u00e9d\u00e9rale de Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland. emma.bell1@ucalgary.ca.", "Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada. emma.bell1@ucalgary.ca."], "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/2a783f9c78344aeababdf56245d89402.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/2a783f9c78344aeababdf56245d89402"}}, "publications": [{"entity": "publication", "iuid": "60969020b541474889f4598f80b10578", "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/60969020b541474889f4598f80b10578.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/60969020b541474889f4598f80b10578"}}, "title": "Active anaerobic methane oxidation and sulfur disproportionation in the deep terrestrial subsurface.", "authors": [{"family": "Bell", "given": "Emma", "initials": "E", "orcid": "0000-0002-2064-6496", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/2a783f9c78344aeababdf56245d89402.json"}}, {"family": "Lamminm\u00e4ki", "given": "Tiina", "initials": "T", "orcid": "0000-0003-3581-5181", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/c14ab9767d564c6ea7cfe58393e62e73.json"}}, {"family": "Alneberg", "given": "Johannes", "initials": "J"}, {"family": "Qian", "given": "Chen", "initials": "C"}, {"family": "Xiong", "given": "Weili", "initials": "W", "orcid": "0000-0001-7208-917X", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/3065d6231f10482180f33192044968b6.json"}}, {"family": "Hettich", "given": "Robert L", "initials": "RL", "orcid": "0000-0001-7708-786X", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/9799c3fc7fc34d28b260797116bf2636.json"}}, {"family": "Frutschi", "given": "Manon", "initials": "M"}, {"family": "Bernier-Latmani", "given": "Rizlan", "initials": "R", "orcid": "0000-0001-6547-722X", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/948a01c20120489b87ec86af68719f8f.json"}}], "type": "journal article", "published": "2022-06-00", "journal": {"title": "ISME J", "issn": "1751-7370", "volume": "16", "issue": "6", "pages": "1583-1593", "issn-l": "1751-7362"}, "abstract": "Microbial life is widespread in the terrestrial subsurface and present down to several kilometers depth, but the energy sources that fuel metabolism in deep oligotrophic and anoxic environments remain unclear. In the deep crystalline bedrock of the Fennoscandian Shield at Olkiluoto, Finland, opposing gradients of abiotic methane and ancient seawater-derived sulfate create a terrestrial sulfate-methane transition zone (SMTZ). We used chemical and isotopic data coupled to genome-resolved metaproteogenomics to demonstrate active life and, for the first time, provide direct evidence of active anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) in a deep terrestrial bedrock. Proteins from Methanoperedens (formerly ANME-2d) are readily identifiable despite the low abundance (\u22641%) of this genus and confirm the occurrence of AOM. This finding is supported by 13C-depleted dissolved inorganic carbon. Proteins from Desulfocapsaceae and Desulfurivibrionaceae, in addition to 34S-enriched sulfate, suggest that these organisms use inorganic sulfur compounds as both electron donor and acceptor. Zerovalent sulfur in the groundwater may derive from abiotic rock interactions, or from a non-obligate syntrophy with Methanoperedens, potentially linking methane and sulfur cycles in Olkiluoto groundwater. Finally, putative episymbionts from the candidate phyla radiation (CPR) and DPANN archaea represented a significant diversity in the groundwater (26/84 genomes) with roles in sulfur and carbon cycling. Our results highlight AOM and sulfur disproportionation as active metabolisms and show that methane and sulfur fuel microbial activity in the deep terrestrial subsurface.", "doi": "10.1038/s41396-022-01207-w", "pmid": "35173296", "labels": [], "xrefs": [{"db": "pmc", "key": "PMC9123182"}, {"db": "pii", "key": "10.1038/s41396-022-01207-w"}], "notes": [], "created": "2026-08-21T11:47:10.439Z", "modified": "2026-08-21T11:47:10.676Z"}, {"entity": "publication", "iuid": "d258fdf7585340c1b33b1220685da455", "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/d258fdf7585340c1b33b1220685da455.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/d258fdf7585340c1b33b1220685da455"}}, "title": "Active sulfur cycling in the terrestrial deep subsurface.", "authors": [{"family": "Bell", "given": "Emma", "initials": "E", "orcid": "0000-0002-2064-6496", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/2a783f9c78344aeababdf56245d89402.json"}}, {"family": "Lamminm\u00e4ki", "given": "Tiina", "initials": "T"}, {"family": "Alneberg", "given": "Johannes", "initials": "J"}, {"family": "Andersson", "given": "Anders F", "initials": "AF", "orcid": "0000-0002-3627-6899", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/cc9be99ec6ca47ed8a805ebb4db7c168.json"}}, {"family": "Qian", "given": "Chen", "initials": "C"}, {"family": "Xiong", "given": "Weili", "initials": "W"}, {"family": "Hettich", "given": "Robert L", "initials": "RL"}, {"family": "Frutschi", "given": "Manon", "initials": "M"}, {"family": "Bernier-Latmani", "given": "Rizlan", "initials": "R", "orcid": "0000-0001-6547-722X", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/948a01c20120489b87ec86af68719f8f.json"}}], "type": "journal article", "published": "2020-05-00", "journal": {"title": "ISME J", "issn": "1751-7370", "volume": "14", "issue": "5", "pages": "1260-1272", "issn-l": "1751-7362"}, "abstract": "The deep terrestrial subsurface remains an environment where there is limited understanding of the extant microbial metabolisms. At Olkiluoto, Finland, a deep geological repository is under construction for the final storage of spent nuclear fuel. It is therefore critical to evaluate the potential impact microbial metabolism, including sulfide generation, could have upon the safety of the repository. We investigated a deep groundwater where sulfate is present, but groundwater geochemistry suggests limited microbial sulfate-reducing activity. Examination of the microbial community at the genome-level revealed microorganisms with the metabolic capacity for both oxidative and reductive sulfur transformations. Deltaproteobacteria are shown to have the genetic capacity for sulfate reduction and possibly sulfur disproportionation, while Rhizobiaceae, Rhodocyclaceae, Sideroxydans, and Sulfurimonas oxidize reduced sulfur compounds. Further examination of the proteome confirmed an active sulfur cycle, serving for microbial energy generation and growth. Our results reveal that this sulfide-poor groundwater harbors an active microbial community of sulfate-reducing and sulfide-oxidizing bacteria, together mediating a sulfur cycle that remained undetected by geochemical monitoring alone. The ability of sulfide-oxidizing bacteria to limit the accumulation of sulfide was further demonstrated in groundwater incubations and highlights a potential sink for sulfide that could be beneficial for geological repository safety.", "doi": "10.1038/s41396-020-0602-x", "pmid": "32047278", "labels": [], "xrefs": [{"db": "pmc", "key": "PMC7174417"}, {"db": "pii", "key": "10.1038/s41396-020-0602-x"}], "notes": [], "created": "2026-08-20T08:48:50.996Z", "modified": "2026-08-20T08:48:51.126Z"}]}