Acidulodusulfobacteria are an important group of facultative anaerobic autotrophs found in acidic and sulfur-rich environments, whose metabolic function and ecological role are still not fully understood. The primary focus of this study is on the metabolic pathways and specific capacities of the reductive and oxidative systems in sulfur metabolism, as well as the pathways related to nitrogen and carbon fixation, which suggest the potential role of this bacterium in biogeochemical cycles. The identification of viral auxiliary metabolic genes confirmed the interaction between viruses and this bacterium and the alteration of host metabolic pathways. Therefore, the investigation of pure strains in the environment is essential to understand the biological mechanisms of this phylum and to experimentally confirm the reconstructed metabolic pathways in the future.This diversity in energy production suggests that this bacterium may have had an intermediate position in the evolution of reductive and oxidative energy systems. The identification of viral AMGs associated with metabolic pathways supports the claim that viruses play an important role in genetic evolution and regulation of bacterial metabolism. This mechanism could be exploited in microbiological studies and horizontal gene transfer to bacteria in the future
Mehdi Halati Amlashi (Wed,) studied this question.