Geoarchaeota: a new candidate phylum in the Archaea from high-temperature acidic iron mats in Yellowstone National Park

Journal Article · Fri Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 2013 · The ISME Journal, 7(3):622-634

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2012.132· OSTI ID:1064570

Kozubal, Mark; Romine, Margaret F; Jennings, Ryan; Jay, Z; Tringe, Susannah G; Rusch, Douglas B; Beam, Jake; McCue, Lee Ann; Inskeep, William P

Geothermal systems in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) provide an outstanding opportunity to understand the origin and evolution of metabolic processes necessary for life in extreme environments including low pH, high temperature, low oxygen and elevated concentrations of reduced iron. Previous phylogenetic studies of acidic ferric iron mats from YNP have revealed considerable diversity of uncultivated and undescribed archaea. The goal of this study was to obtain replicate de novo genome assemblies for a dominant archaeal population inhabiting acidic iron oxide mats in YNP. Detailed analysis of conserved ribosomal and informational processing genes indicate that the replicate assemblies represent a new phylum-level lineage referred to here as 'novel archaeal group 1 (NAG1)'. The NAG1 organisms contain pathways necessary for the catabolism of peptides and complex carbohydrates as well as a bacterial-like Form I CO dehydrogenase complex likely used for energy conservation. Moreover, this novel population contains genes involved in metabolism of oxygen including a Type A heme copper oxidase, a bd-type terminal oxidase and a putative oxygen sensing protoglobin. NAG1 has a variety of unique bacterial-like cofactor biosynthesis and transport genes and a Type3-like CRISPR system. Discovery of NAG1 is critical to our understanding of microbial community structure and function in extant thermophilic iron mats of YNP, and will provide insight regarding the evolution of Archaea in early Earth environments that may have important analogues active in YNP today.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 1064570
• Report Number(s): PNNL-SA-85899; KP1601010
• Journal Information: The ISME Journal, 7(3):622-634, Journal Name: The ISME Journal, 7(3):622-634
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

Yellowstone National Park
carbon monoxide
extremophiles
geothermal
heme copper oxidase