Insights into archaeal evolution and symbiosis from the genomes of a Nanoarchaeon and its crenarchaeal host from Yellowstone National Park

Journal Article · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 2013 · Biology Direct

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1186/1745-6150-8-9· OSTI ID:1118740

Podar, Mircea ^[1]; Graham, David E ^[1]; Reysenbach, Anna-Louise ^[2]; Koonin, Eugene ^[3]; Wolf, Yuri ^[3]; Makarova, Kira S. ^[3]

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1. ORNL
2. Portland State University
3. National Center for Biotechnology Information

A hyperthemophilic member of the Nanoarchaeota from Obsidian Pool, a thermal feature in Yellowstone National Park was characterized using single cell isolation and sequencing, together with its putative host, a Sulfolobales archaeon. This first representative of a non-marine Nanoarchaeota (Nst1) resembles Nanoarchaeum equitans by lacking most biosynthetic capabilities, the two forming a deep-branching archaeal lineage. However, the Nst1 genome is over 20% larger, encodes a complete gluconeogenesis pathway and a full complement of archaeal flagellum proteins. Comparison of the two genomes suggests that the marine and terrestrial Nanoarchaeota lineages share a common ancestor that was already a symbiont of another archaeon. With a larger genome, a smaller repertoire of split protein encoding genes and no split non-contiguous tRNAs, Nst1 appears to have experienced less severe genome reduction than N. equitans. The inferred host of Nst1 is potentially autotrophic, with a streamlined genome and simplified central and energetic metabolism as compared to other Sulfolobales. The two distinct Nanoarchaeota-host genomic data sets offer insights into the evolution of archaeal symbiosis and parasitism and will further enable studies of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of these relationships.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
• Sponsoring Organization: ME USDOE - Office of Management, Budget, and Evaluation; ORNL work for others
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1118740
• Journal Information: Biology Direct, Journal Name: Biology Direct Journal Issue: Apr. 22 Vol. 8; ISSN 1745-6150
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English