The Methanosarcina barkeri genome: comparative analysis withMethanosarcina acetivorans and Methanosarcina mazei reveals extensiverearrangement within methanosarcinal genomes
We report here a comparative analysis of the genome sequence of Methanosarcina barkeri with those of Methanosarcina acetivorans and Methanosarcina mazei. All three genomes share a conserved double origin of replication and many gene clusters. M. barkeri is distinguished by having an organization that is well conserved with respect to the other Methanosarcinae in the region proximal to the origin of replication with interspecies gene similarities as high as 95%. However it is disordered and marked by increased transposase frequency and decreased gene synteny and gene density in the proximal semi-genome. Of the 3680 open reading frames in M. barkeri, 678 had paralogs with better than 80% similarity to both M. acetivorans and M. mazei while 128 nonhypothetical orfs were unique (non-paralogous) amongst these species including a complete formate dehydrogenase operon, two genes required for N-acetylmuramic acid synthesis, a 14 gene gas vesicle cluster and a bacterial P450-specific ferredoxin reductase cluster not previously observed or characterized in this genus. A cryptic 36 kbp plasmid sequence was detected in M. barkeri that contains an orc1 gene flanked by a presumptive origin of replication consisting of 38 tandem repeats of a 143 nt motif. Three-way comparison of these genomes reveals differing mechanisms for the accrual of changes. Elongation of the large M. acetivorans is the result of multiple gene-scale insertions and duplications uniformly distributed in that genome, while M. barkeri is characterized by localized inversions associated with the loss of gene content. In contrast, the relatively short M. mazei most closely approximates the ancestral organizational state.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Director, Office of Science. Office of Biological andEnvironmental Research. Life Sciences Division; National ScienceFoundation
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC02-05CH11231; MCB0110762; MCB12466
- OSTI ID:
- 901505
- Report Number(s):
- LBNL-60247; JOBAAY; R&D Project: 626882; TRN: US200714%%71
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Bacteriology, Vol. 188, Issue 22; Related Information: Journal Publication Date: November2006; ISSN 0021-9193
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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