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Title: Genomics-informed isolation and characterization of a symbiotic Nanoarchaeota system from a terrestrial geothermal environment

Journal Article · · Nature Communications
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms12115· OSTI ID:1295113
 [1];  [2];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [1];  [3];  [1]
  1. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States). Dept. of Microbiology
  2. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
  3. Portland State Univ., Portland, OR (United States). Dept. of Biology

Biological features can be inferred, based on genomic data, for many microbial lineages that remain uncultured. However, cultivation is important for characterizing an organism’s physiology and testing its genome-encoded potential. Here we use single-cell genomics to infer cultivation conditions for the isolation of an ectosymbiotic Nanoarchaeota (‘Nanopusillus acidilobi’) and its host (Acidilobus, a crenarchaeote) from a terrestrial geothermal environment. The cells of ‘Nanopusillus’ are among the smallest known cellular organisms (100–300 nm). They appear to have a complete genetic information processing machinery, but lack almost all primary biosynthetic functions as well as respiration and ATP synthesis. Lastly, genomic and proteomic comparison with its distant relative, the marine Nanoarchaeum equitans illustrate an ancient, common evolutionary history of adaptation of the Nanoarchaeota to ectosymbiosis, so far unique among the Archaea.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725; SC0006654; DEB1134877
OSTI ID:
1295113
Journal Information:
Nature Communications, Vol. 7; ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 84 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (6)

Assembling metagenomes, one community at a time journal July 2017
Genome size evolution in the Archaea journal November 2018
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The trajectory of microbial single-cell sequencing journal October 2017
Unexpected host dependency of Antarctic Nanohaloarchaeota journal June 2019
The multi-omics promise in context: from sequence to microbial isolate journal May 2017