A resonant sextuplet of sub-Neptunes transiting the bright star HD 110067.

Planets with radii between that of the Earth and Neptune (hereafter referred to as 'sub-Neptunes') are found in close-in orbits around more than half of all Sun-like stars1,2. However, their composition, formation and evolution remain poorly understood3. The study of multiplanetary systems offers an opportunity to investigate the outcomes of planet formation and evolution while controlling for initial conditions and environment. Those in resonance (with their orbital periods related by a ratio of small integers) are particularly valuable because they imply a system architecture practically unchanged since its birth. Here we present the observations of six transiting planets around the bright nearby star HD 110067. We find that the planets follow a chain of resonant orbits. A dynamical study of the innermost planet triplet allowed the prediction and later confirmation of the orbits of the rest of the planets in the system. The six planets are found to be sub-Neptunes with radii ranging from 1.94R⊕ to 2.85R⊕. Three of the planets have measured masses, yielding low bulk densities that suggest the presence of large hydrogen-dominated atmospheres.

Isolation from estuarine sediments of a Desulfovibrio strain which can grow on lactate coupled to the reductive dehalogenation of 2,4, 6-tribromophenol.

Strain TBP-1, an anaerobic bacterium capable of reductively dehalogenating 2,4,6-tribromophenol to phenol, was isolated from estuarine sediments of the Arthur Kill in the New York/New Jersey harbor. It is a gram-negative, motile, vibrio-shaped, obligate anaerobe which grows on lactate, pyruvate, hydrogen, and fumarate when provided sulfate as an electron acceptor. The organism accumulates acetate when grown on lactate and sulfate, contains desulfoviridin, and will not grow in the absence of NaCl. It will not utilize acetate, succinate, propionate, or butyrate for growth via sulfate reduction. When supplied with lactate as an electron donor, strain TBP-1 will utilize sulfate, sulfite, sulfur, and thiosulfate for growth but not nitrate, fumarate, or acrylate. This organism debrominates 2-, 4-, 2,4-, 2,6-, and 2,4,6-bromophenol but not 3- or 2,3-bromophenol or monobrominated benzoates. It will not dehalogenate monochlorinated, fluorinated, or iodinated phenols or chlorinated benzoates. Together with its physiological characteristics, its 16S rRNA gene sequence places it in the genus Desulfovibrio. The average growth yield of strain TBP-1 grown on a defined medium supplemented with lactate and 2,4,6-bromophenol is 3.71 mg of protein/mmol of phenol produced, and the yield was 1.42 mg of protein/mmol of phenol produced when 4-bromophenol was the electron acceptor. Average growth yields (milligrams of protein per millimole of electrons utilized) for Desulfovibrio sp. strain TBP-1 grown with 2,4,6-bromophenol, 4-bromophenol, or sulfate are 0.62, 0.71, and 1.07, respectively. Growth did not occur when either lactate or 2,4,6-bromophenol was omitted from the growth medium. These results indicate that Desulfovibrio sp. strain TBP-1 is capable of growth via halorespiration.

Effects of polychlorinated biphenyl congener concentration and sediment supplementation on rates of methanogenesis and 2,3,6-trichlorobiphenyl dechlorination in an anaerobic enrichment.

We have employed a method of enrichment that allows us to significantly increase the rate of reductive polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) dechlorination. This method shortens the time required to investigate the effects that culture conditions have on dechlorination and provides an estimate of the potential activity of the PCB-dechlorinating anaerobes. The periodic supplementation of sterile sediment and PCB produced an enhanced, measurable, and sustained rate of dechlorination. We observed volumetric rates of the dechlorination of 2,3,6-trichlorobiphenyl (2,3,6-CB) to 2,6-dichlorobiphenyl (2,6-CB) of more than 300 mumol liter day when the cultures were supplemented daily. A calculation of this activity that is based on an estimate of the number of dechlorinating anaerobes present indicates that 1.13 pmol of 2,3,6-CB was dechlorinated to 2,6-CB day bacterial cell. This rate is similar to that of the reductive dechlorination of 3-chlorobenzoate by Desulfomonile tiedjei. Methanogenesis declined from 585.3 to 125.9 mumol of CH(4) liter day, while dechlorination increased from 8.2 to 346.0 mumol of 2,3,6-CB dechlorinated to 2,6-CB liter day.

Subculturing of a polychlorinated biphenyl-dechlorinating anaerobic enrichment on solid media.

An anaerobic culture capable of dechlorinating polychlorinated biphenyls was subcultured under strict anaerobic conditions on solid media containing sterilized river sediment. The dechlorination activity was transferred as a bacterial colony on a solid medium three times. After two transfers on solid medium, the culture was no longer methanogenic but still dechlorinated a mixture of tri- and tetrachlorobiphenyls. This demonstrates that anaerobic bacteria are responsible for the polychlorinated biphenyl dechlorination and can be grown without polychlorinated biphenyl on solid media.