Emerging research on characterizing the potential of cable bacteria for CH4 mitigation

• Cable bacteria had vital potential for CH 4 mitigation in freshwater ecosystems. • Mechanism of CH 4 reduction by cable bacteria under anaerobic condition was proposed. • Abundance and activity of cable bacteria in freshwater need to be further evaluated. • Amount of CH 4 mitigation with cable bacteria should be estimated accurately. • Regulation with cable bacteria could be developed to control CH 4 emissions. Methane (CH 4 ) contributes an essential portion for global warming as a pivotal greenhouse gas. Microorganisms are identified as an effective way to mediate and control CH 4 emission. Cable bacteria is a promising microorganism to mitigate CH 4 , however, the studies of distribution, abundance and function for CH 4 reduction of cable bacteria in inland water still remain unclear. In this paper, we propose the probable CH 4 mitigation metabolism within cable bacteria in anoxic condition, and present the future research directions about the application potential of cable bacteria in CH 4 reduction. The viewpoint will help to understand the significant role of cable bacteria in CH 4 mitigation and provide a potential way to control CH 4 emissions in inland freshwater ecosystem.