Modified Mevalonate Pathway of the Archaeon Aeropyrum Pernix Proceeds Via Trans- Anhydromevalonate 5-Phosphate

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Modified Mevalonate Pathway of the Archaeon Aeropyrum Pernix Proceeds Via Trans- Anhydromevalonate 5-Phosphate Modified mevalonate pathway of the archaeon Aeropyrum pernix proceeds via trans- anhydromevalonate 5-phosphate Hajime Hayakawaa, Kento Motoyamaa, Fumiaki Sobuea, Tomokazu Itoa, Hiroshi Kawaideb, Tohru Yoshimuraa, and Hisashi Hemmia,1 aDepartment of Applied Molecular Bioscience, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8601 Aichi, Japan; and bInstitute of Symbiotic Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, 183-8509 Tokyo, Japan Edited by C. Dale Poulter, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, and approved August 23, 2018 (received for review May 28, 2018) The modified mevalonate pathway is believed to be the upstream MVA pathway exists in almost all eukaryotes and in certain forms biosynthetic route for isoprenoids in general archaea. The partially of bacteria, such as lactic acid bacteria, whereas the vast majority identified pathway has been proposed to explain a mystery of bacteria utilize the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway surrounding the lack of phosphomevalonate kinase and diphospho- that proceeds through completely different intermediates from mevalonate decarboxylase by the discovery of a conserved enzyme, those in the MVA pathway. isopentenyl phosphate kinase. Phosphomevalonate decarboxylase The “modified” MVA pathway was first proposed in 2006 by was considered to be the missing link that would fill the vacancy in Grochowski et al. (4) based on the discovery of a new enzyme, the pathway between mevalonate 5-phosphate and isopentenyl isopentenyl phosphate kinase (IPK), and on data from compar- phosphate. This enzyme was recently discovered from haloarchaea ative analyses of archaeal genomes. For archaea, which do not and certain Chroloflexi bacteria, but their enzymes are close homo- possess the MEP pathway, the MVA pathway is requisite for the logs of diphosphomevalonate decarboxylase, which are absent in biosynthesis of specific membrane lipids and other isoprenoids, most archaea. In this study, we used comparative genomic analysis to such as respiratory quinones and dolichols. These organisms do find two enzymes from a hyperthermophilic archaeon, Aeropyrum have the putative genes of most enzymes in the aforementioned pernix, that can replace phosphomevalonate decarboxylase. One en- eukaryote-type MVA pathway; it is curious, however, that almost zyme, which has been annotated as putative aconitase, catalyzes the all archaea apparently lack the genes of one or two enzymes of the pathway, typically both PMK and DMD (5–7). Thus, dehydration of mevalonate 5-phosphate to form a previously un- trans Grochowski et al. (4) proposed a bypass pathway, called the known intermediate, -anhydromevalonate 5-phosphate. Then, modified MVA pathway, in which isopentenyl phosphate (IP) another enzyme belonging to the UbiD-decarboxylase family, which was formed from MVA5P by an undiscovered decarboxylase likely requires a UbiX-like partner, converts the intermediate into iso- and was then phosphorylated by IPK, which is conserved in al- pentenyl phosphate. Their activities were confirmed by in vitro assay most all archaea, to yield IPP (Fig. 1A). The decarboxylase [i.e., with recombinant enzymes and were also detected in cell-free extract phosphomevalonate decarboxylase (PMD)] was recently identi- from A. pernix. These data distinguish the modified mevalonate path- fied from a halophilic archaeon, Haloferax volcanii (8), and a way of A. pernix and likely, of the majority of archaea from all known Chloroflexi bacterium, Roseiflexus castenholzii (9). The discovery mevalonate pathways, such as the eukaryote-type classical pathway, substantiated the existence of the proposed modified pathway in the haloarchaea-type modified pathway, and another modified path- these organisms. The pathway is, however, considered to be ex- way recently discovered from Thermoplasma acidophilum. ceptional in the domain Archaea, because the gene of PMD, mevalonate pathway | archaea | isoprenoid | dehydratase | decarboxylase Significance he mevalonate (MVA) pathway provides fundamental pre- Herein, the partially identified “modified” mevalonate path- Tcursors for isoprenoid biosyntheses, such as isopentenyl di- way of the majority of archaea is elucidated using information phosphate (IPP) and dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP). This from comparative genomic analysis. Discovery of two enzymes, pathway was discovered in the late 1950s through the study of mevalonate 5-phosphate dehydratase and trans-anhydromevalonate cholesterol biosynthesis (Fig. 1A) (1, 2). In this pathway, the C6 5-phosphate decarboxylase, from a hyperthermophilic archaeon, intermediate MVA is formed from acetyl-CoA via acetoacetyl- Aeropyrum pernix, shows that the pathway passes through a CoA and hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA. It then undergoes two previously unrecognized metabolite, trans-anhydromevalonate steps of phosphorylation catalyzed by mevalonate kinase (MVK) 5-phosphate. The distribution of the known mevalonate path- and phosphomevalonate kinase (PMK) to yield mevalonate 5- ways among archaea and other organisms suggests that the A. diphosphate (MVA5PP) via mevalonate 5-phosphate (MVA5P). pernix-type pathway, which is probably conserved among the The C5 compound IPP is synthesized by the decarboxylation of majority of archaea, is the evolutionary prototype for the other MVA5PP accompanied by a detachment of its 3-hydroxyl group. mevalonate pathways involving diphosphomevalonate decar- To catalyze the reaction, diphosphomevalonate decarboxylase boxylase or its homologs. (DMD) consumes ATP to temporarily phosphorylate MVA5PP and form mevalonate 3-phosphate 5-diphosphate inside its cat- Author contributions: T.Y. and H. Hemmi designed research; H. Hayakawa, K.M., F.S., T.I., alytic pocket as shown recently by our mutagenic study (3). H.K., and H. Hemmi performed research; H.K. contributed new reagents/analytic tools; Detachment of the 3-phosphate group of the intermediate triggers H. Hayakawa, F.S., and H. Hemmi analyzed data; and H. Hemmi wrote the paper. decarboxylation to yield IPP. These ATP-dependent enzymes, The authors declare no conflict of interest. MVK, PMK, and DMD, belong to the GHMP (galactokinase, This article is a PNAS Direct Submission. homoserine kinase, mevalonate kinase, phosphomevalonate ki- Published under the PNAS license. nase) kinase family and show a certain level of homology. Con- 1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: [email protected]. version of IPP into DMAPP is catalyzed by IPP isomerase, which This article contains supporting information online at www.pnas.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10. includes two evolutionary independent types of enzymes. This 1073/pnas.1809154115/-/DCSupplemental. most widely accepted, sometimes called “classical” or “canonical,” Published online September 17, 2018. 10034–10039 | PNAS | October 2, 2018 | vol. 115 | no. 40 www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1809154115 Downloaded by guest on September 27, 2021 Fig. 1. Variation and distribution of the MVA pathways. (A) The MVA pathways known to date and discovered in this study. The names of enzymes are shown in boxes, which are colored in light blue, green, or pink when the enzymes are DMD homologs. IDI, isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase. (B) Distri- bution patterns of DMD homologs and the enzymes studied in this work. Each box represents an archaeal species selected on the basis of the one-species-for- each-genus rule (SI Appendix, Table S1). Boxes colored in light blue, green, pink, and gray indicate archaea possessing the (putative) genes of DMD, PMD, M3K/BMD, and a DMD homolog of unknown function, respectively, while white boxes mean their absence. Similarly, boxes colored in red represent the presence of the putative ortholog genes of proteins described on the left. which is a close homolog to DMD, is conserved in all haloarchaea This discovery meant that the majority of archaea, in which the but not in most archaea. Different MVA pathways have been found putative orthologs of these enzymes are conserved, likely utilize from other unusual archaea that also possess DMD homologs, such the modified MVA pathway that goes via tAHMP and thus, is as those of the orders Sulfolobales and Thermoplasmatales. The distinct from the known MVA pathways. archaea of the order Sulfolobales, such as Sulfolobus solfataricus, are known to possess a eukaryote-type MVA pathway, but these Results are rare exceptions in archaea (10). In contrast, recent studies Search for Enzymes Involved in the MVA Pathway. To find candi- have proven that the archaea of the order Thermoplasmatales, dates for the undiscovered enzymes involved in the modified such as Thermoplasma acidophilum and Picrophilus torridus,pos- MVA pathway, genes conserved in the archaea that lack the sess a distinctly modified MVA pathway, in which MVA is first genes of DMD homologs were searched from the genomes of 88 converted into mevalonate 3-phosphate (MVA3P) by a DMD archaeal species using the MBGD website (mbgd.genome.ad.jp) homolog, mevalonate 3-kinase (M3K) (Fig. 1A)(11–13). MVA3P that can create sets of putative ortholog genes. The candidate is then phosphorylated by a non-GHMP family kinase, MVA3P 5- genes that we searched for were expected to be absent in the kinase, to form mevalonate 3,5-bisphosphate. The decarboxyl- archaea possessing the DMD homolog genes, such as those of ation of the intermediate is catalyzed by another DMD homolog, the class Halobacteria and the orders Sulfolobales and Ther- bisphosphomevalonate decarboxylase (BMD),
Recommended publications
  • Title Genomic Analysis of the Marine Hyperthermophilic Archaeon
    Genomic analysis of the marine hyperthermophilic archaeon Title Aeropyrum( Digest_要約 ) Author(s) Daifuku, Takashi Citation 京都大学 Issue Date 2015-03-23 URL https://doi.org/10.14989/doctor.k19034 学位規則第9条第2項により要約公開; 許諾条件により本文 Right は2019-08-01に公開 Type Thesis or Dissertation Textversion ETD Kyoto University Summary The increasing number of genome sequences of archaea and bacteria leads to show their adaptation to different environmental conditions at the genomic level. Aeropyrum spp. are aerobic and hyperthermophilic archaea. A. camini was isolated from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent, and A. pernix was isolated from a coastal solfataric vent. In chapter 2, I compared the genomes of the two species to investigate the adaptation strategy in each habitat. Their shared genome features were a small genome size, a high GC content, and a large portion of orthologous genes (86 to 88%). The genomes also showed high synteny. These shared features may have been derived from the small number of mobile genetic elements and the lack of a RecBCD system, a recombinational enzyme complex. In addition, the specialized physiology (aerobic and hyperthermophilic) of Aeropyrum spp. may also contribute to the entire-genome similarity. Despite having stable genomes, interference of synteny occurred with two proviruses, A. pernix spindle-shaped virus 1 (APSV1) and A. pernix ovoid virus 1 (APOV1), and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) elements. CRISPR spacer sequences observed in the A. camini showed significant matches with protospacers of the two proviruses found in the genome of A. pernix, indicating that A. camini interacted with viruses closely related to APSV1 and APOV1. Furthermore, a significant fraction of the nonorthologous genes (41 to 45%) were proviral genes or ORFans probably originating from viruses.
    [Show full text]
  • The 2014 Golden Gate National Parks Bioblitz - Data Management and the Event Species List Achieving a Quality Dataset from a Large Scale Event
    National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science The 2014 Golden Gate National Parks BioBlitz - Data Management and the Event Species List Achieving a Quality Dataset from a Large Scale Event Natural Resource Report NPS/GOGA/NRR—2016/1147 ON THIS PAGE Photograph of BioBlitz participants conducting data entry into iNaturalist. Photograph courtesy of the National Park Service. ON THE COVER Photograph of BioBlitz participants collecting aquatic species data in the Presidio of San Francisco. Photograph courtesy of National Park Service. The 2014 Golden Gate National Parks BioBlitz - Data Management and the Event Species List Achieving a Quality Dataset from a Large Scale Event Natural Resource Report NPS/GOGA/NRR—2016/1147 Elizabeth Edson1, Michelle O’Herron1, Alison Forrestel2, Daniel George3 1Golden Gate Parks Conservancy Building 201 Fort Mason San Francisco, CA 94129 2National Park Service. Golden Gate National Recreation Area Fort Cronkhite, Bldg. 1061 Sausalito, CA 94965 3National Park Service. San Francisco Bay Area Network Inventory & Monitoring Program Manager Fort Cronkhite, Bldg. 1063 Sausalito, CA 94965 March 2016 U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Fort Collins, Colorado The National Park Service, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science office in Fort Collins, Colorado, publishes a range of reports that address natural resource topics. These reports are of interest and applicability to a broad audience in the National Park Service and others in natural resource management, including scientists, conservation and environmental constituencies, and the public. The Natural Resource Report Series is used to disseminate comprehensive information and analysis about natural resources and related topics concerning lands managed by the National Park Service.
    [Show full text]
  • Extremozymes of the Hot and Salty Halothermothrix Orenii
    Extremozymes of the Hot and Salty Halothermothrix orenii Author Kori, Lokesh D Published 2012 Thesis Type Thesis (PhD Doctorate) School School of Biomolecular and Physical Sciences DOI https://doi.org/10.25904/1912/2191 Copyright Statement The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise. Downloaded from http://hdl.handle.net/10072/366220 Griffith Research Online https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au Extremozymes of the hot and salty Halothermothrix orenii LOKESH D. KORI (M.Sc. Biotechnology) School of Biomolecular and Physical Sciences Science, Environment, Engineering and Technology Griffith University, Australia Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy December 2011 STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY This work has not previously been submitted for a degree or diploma in any university. To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the thesis itself. LOKESH DULICHAND KORI II ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I owe my deepest gratitude to my supervisor Prof. Bharat Patel, for offering me an opportunity for being his postgraduate. His boundless knowledge motivates me for keep going and enjoy the essence of science. Without his guidance, great patience and advice, I could not finish my PhD program successfully. I take this opportunity to give my heartiest thanks to Assoc. Prof. Andreas Hofmann, (Structural Chemistry, Eskitis Institute for Cell & Molecular Therapies, Griffith University) for his support and encouragement for crystallographic work. I am grateful to him for teaching me about the protein structures, in silico analysis and their hidden chemistry.
    [Show full text]
  • Biological Diversity in the Patent System
    Biological Diversity in the Patent System Paul Oldham1,2*, Stephen Hall1,3, Oscar Forero1,4 1 ESRC Centre for Economic and Social Aspects of Genomics (Cesagen), Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom, 2 Institute of Advanced Studies, United Nations University, Yokohama, Japan, 3 One World Analytics, Lancaster, United Kingdom, 4 Centre for Development, Environment and Policy, SOAS, University of London, London, United Kingdom Abstract Biological diversity in the patent system is an enduring focus of controversy but empirical analysis of the presence of biodiversity in the patent system has been limited. To address this problem we text mined 11 million patent documents for 6 million Latin species names from the Global Names Index (GNI) established by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and Encyclopedia of Life (EOL). We identified 76,274 full Latin species names from 23,882 genera in 767,955 patent documents. 25,595 species appeared in the claims section of 136,880 patent documents. This reveals that human innovative activity involving biodiversity in the patent system focuses on approximately 4% of taxonomically described species and between 0.8–1% of predicted global species. In this article we identify the major features of the patent landscape for biological diversity by focusing on key areas including pharmaceuticals, neglected diseases, traditional medicines, genetic engineering, foods, biocides, marine genetic resources and Antarctica. We conclude that the narrow focus of human innovative activity and ownership of genetic resources is unlikely to be in the long term interest of humanity. We argue that a broader spectrum of biodiversity needs to be opened up to research and development based on the principles of equitable benefit-sharing, respect for the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity, human rights and ethics.
    [Show full text]
  • Developing a Genetic Manipulation System for the Antarctic Archaeon, Halorubrum Lacusprofundi: Investigating Acetamidase Gene Function
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Developing a genetic manipulation system for the Antarctic archaeon, Halorubrum lacusprofundi: Received: 27 May 2016 Accepted: 16 September 2016 investigating acetamidase gene Published: 06 October 2016 function Y. Liao1, T. J. Williams1, J. C. Walsh2,3, M. Ji1, A. Poljak4, P. M. G. Curmi2, I. G. Duggin3 & R. Cavicchioli1 No systems have been reported for genetic manipulation of cold-adapted Archaea. Halorubrum lacusprofundi is an important member of Deep Lake, Antarctica (~10% of the population), and is amendable to laboratory cultivation. Here we report the development of a shuttle-vector and targeted gene-knockout system for this species. To investigate the function of acetamidase/formamidase genes, a class of genes not experimentally studied in Archaea, the acetamidase gene, amd3, was disrupted. The wild-type grew on acetamide as a sole source of carbon and nitrogen, but the mutant did not. Acetamidase/formamidase genes were found to form three distinct clades within a broad distribution of Archaea and Bacteria. Genes were present within lineages characterized by aerobic growth in low nutrient environments (e.g. haloarchaea, Starkeya) but absent from lineages containing anaerobes or facultative anaerobes (e.g. methanogens, Epsilonproteobacteria) or parasites of animals and plants (e.g. Chlamydiae). While acetamide is not a well characterized natural substrate, the build-up of plastic pollutants in the environment provides a potential source of introduced acetamide. In view of the extent and pattern of distribution of acetamidase/formamidase sequences within Archaea and Bacteria, we speculate that acetamide from plastics may promote the selection of amd/fmd genes in an increasing number of environmental microorganisms.
    [Show full text]
  • Microbial Evolution and Diversity
    PART V Microbial Evolution and Diversity This material cannot be copied, disseminated, or used in any way without the express written permission of the publisher. Copyright 2007 Sinauer Associates Inc. The objectives of this chapter are to: N Provide information on how bacteria are named and what is meant by a validly named species. N Discuss the classification of Bacteria and Archaea and the recent move toward an evolutionarily based, phylogenetic classification. N Describe the ways in which the Bacteria and Archaea are identified in the laboratory. This material cannot be copied, disseminated, or used in any way without the express written permission of the publisher. Copyright 2007 Sinauer Associates Inc. 17 Taxonomy of Bacteria and Archaea It’s just astounding to see how constant, how conserved, certain sequence motifs—proteins, genes—have been over enormous expanses of time. You can see sequence patterns that have per- sisted probably for over three billion years. That’s far longer than mountain ranges last, than continents retain their shape. —Carl Woese, 1997 (in Perry and Staley, Microbiology) his part of the book discusses the variety of microorganisms that exist on Earth and what is known about their characteris- Ttics and evolution. Most of the material pertains to the Bacteria and Archaea because there is a special chapter dedicated to eukaryotic microorganisms. Therefore, this first chapter discusses how the Bacte- ria and Archaea are named and classified and is followed by several chapters (Chapters 18–22) that discuss the properties and diversity of the Bacteria and Archaea. When scientists encounter a large number of related items—such as the chemical elements, plants, or animals—they characterize, name, and organize them into groups.
    [Show full text]
  • No. 13 Since Its Establishment in 2001, RIKEN Bioresource
    No. 13 Biological resources of thermophiles Thermus thermophilus, Aeropyrum pernix and Sulfolobus tokodaii in the Gene Engineering Division, RIKEN BioResource Center Takehide Murata, Masato Okubo, Shotaro Kishikawa, Yukari Kujime, Chitose Kurihara, Koji Nakade, Megumi Hirose, Satoko Masuzaki, Yuichi Obata (Gene Engineering Division, RIKEN BioResource Center) e-mail: [email protected] Since its establishment in 2001, RIKEN BioResource Center (RIKEN BRC) has successfully undertaken activities related to the collection, preservation and supply of biological resources with the three basic principles for the management of this Center: Trust, sustainability and Leadership. Since 2002, the Division has been selected as a core facility of DNA resources in Japan engaging in the collection, preservation, quality control and distribution of genetic materials such as plasmid, clone sets of bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC), recombinant adenovirus, expression vector, and host bacterium by National BioResource Project (NBRP) administrated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan. RIKEN BRC has executed a license agreement with the Life Technologies Corporation (former Invitrogen IP Holdings, Inc.) to receive, maintain, replicate and distribute Gateway® Entry clones and Expression clones. Your deposition of genetic resources to RIKEN BRC Gene Engineering Division is most appreciated. The RIKEN BRC is providing thermophile resources: expression clones, gene disruption clones, microbial strains and genomic DNAs. The expression clones and gene disruption clones was constructed and deposited by Dr. Seiki Kuramitsu and his colleague (RIKEN SPring-8 Center, Harima Inst./Osaka Univ.). The expression clones were established to express recombinant proteins of thermophiles in the E. coli. Expression clones of gene products of the Thermus thermophilus (about 1,800 clones) are available for distribution (http://www.brc.riken.jp/lab/dna/en/thermus_en.html).
    [Show full text]
  • Purification and Biochemical Properties of a Cytochrome Bc
    Kabashima and Sakamoto BMC Microbiology 2011, 11:52 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2180/11/52 RESEARCHARTICLE Open Access Purification and biochemical properties of a cytochrome bc complex from the aerobic hyperthermophilic archaeon Aeropyrum pernix Yoshiki Kabashima1,2, Junshi Sakamoto1* Abstract Background: The bioenergetics of Archaea with respect to the evolution of electron transfer systems is very interesting. In contrast to terminal oxidases, a canonical bc1 complex has not yet been isolated from Archaea. In particular, c-type cytochromes have been reported only for a limited number of species. Results: Here, we isolated a c-type cytochrome-containing enzyme complex from the membranes of the hyperthermophilic archaeon, Aeropyrum pernix, grown aerobically. The redox spectrum of the isolated c-type cytochrome showed a characteristic a-band peak at 553 nm corresponding to heme C. The pyridine hemochrome spectrum also revealed the presence of heme B. In non-denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the cytochrome migrated as a single band with an apparent molecular mass of 80 kDa, and successive SDS-PAGE separated the 80-kDa band into 3 polypeptides with apparent molecular masses of 40, 30, and 25 kDa. The results of mass spectrometry indicated that the 25-kDa band corresponded to the hypothetical cytochrome c subunit encoded by the ORF APE_1719.1. In addition, the c-type cytochrome-containing polypeptide complex exhibited menaquinone: yeast cytochrome c oxidoreductase activities. Conclusion: In conclusion, we showed that A. pernix, a hyperthemophilic archaeon, has a “full” bc complex that includes a c-type cytochrome, and to the best of our knowledge, A. pernix is the first archaea from which such a bc complex has been identified.
    [Show full text]
  • Proteome Cold-Shock Response in the Extremely Acidophilic Archaeon, Cuniculiplasma Divulgatum
    microorganisms Article Proteome Cold-Shock Response in the Extremely Acidophilic Archaeon, Cuniculiplasma divulgatum Rafael Bargiela 1 , Karin Lanthaler 1,2, Colin M. Potter 1,2 , Manuel Ferrer 3 , Alexander F. Yakunin 1,2, Bela Paizs 1,2, Peter N. Golyshin 1,2 and Olga V. Golyshina 1,2,* 1 School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Rd, Bangor LL57 2UW, UK; [email protected] (R.B.); [email protected] (K.L.); [email protected] (C.M.P.); [email protected] (A.F.Y.); [email protected] (B.P.); [email protected] (P.N.G.) 2 Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, Deiniol Rd, Bangor LL57 2UW, UK 3 Systems Biotechnology Group, Department of Applied Biocatalysis, CSIC—Institute of Catalysis, Marie Curie 2, 28049 Madrid, Spain; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +44-1248-388607; Fax: +44-1248-382569 Received: 27 April 2020; Accepted: 15 May 2020; Published: 19 May 2020 Abstract: The archaeon Cuniculiplasma divulgatum is ubiquitous in acidic environments with low-to-moderate temperatures. However, molecular mechanisms underlying its ability to thrive at lower temperatures remain unexplored. Using mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics, we analysed the effect of short-term (3 h) exposure to cold. The C. divulgatum genome encodes 2016 protein-coding genes, from which 819 proteins were identified in the cells grown under optimal conditions. In line with the peptidolytic lifestyle of C. divulgatum, its intracellular proteome revealed the abundance of proteases, ABC transporters and cytochrome C oxidase. From 747 quantifiable polypeptides, the levels of 582 proteins showed no change after the cold shock, whereas 104 proteins were upregulated suggesting that they might be contributing to cold adaptation.
    [Show full text]
  • Archaeal Viruses and Bacteriophages: Comparisons and Contrasts
    Review Archaeal viruses and bacteriophages: comparisons and contrasts Maija K. Pietila¨ , Tatiana A. Demina, Nina S. Atanasova, Hanna M. Oksanen, and Dennis H. Bamford Institute of Biotechnology and Department of Biosciences, P.O. Box 56, Viikinkaari 5, 00014 University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland Isolated archaeal viruses comprise only a few percent of Euryarchaeaota [9,10]. Archaea have also been cultivated all known prokaryotic viruses. Thus, the study of viruses from moderate environments such as seawater and soil. infecting archaea is still in its early stages. Here we Consequently, an additional phylum, Thaumarchaeota, summarize the most recent discoveries of archaeal vi- has been formed to contain mesophilic and thermophilic ruses utilizing a virion-centered view. We describe the ammonia-oxidizing archaea [11]. However, all known ar- known archaeal virion morphotypes and compare them chaeal viruses infect extremophiles – mainly hyperther- to the bacterial counterparts, if such exist. Viruses infect- mophiles belonging to the crenarchaeal genera Sulfolobus ing archaea are morphologically diverse and present and Acidianus or halophiles of the euryarchaeal genera some unique morphotypes. Although limited in isolate Haloarcula, Halorubrum, and Halobacterium [6,7]. Even number, archaeal viruses reveal new insights into the though bacteria are also found in diverse extreme habitats viral world, such as deep evolutionary relationships such as hypersaline lakes, archaea typically dominate at between viruses that infect hosts from all three domains extreme salinities, based on both cultivation-dependent of life. and -independent studies [6,12–15]. Consequently, archae- al viruses do the same in hypersaline environments. About Discovery of archaeal viruses 50 prokaryotic haloviruses were recently isolated from All cellular organisms are susceptible to viral infections, nine globally distant locations, and only four of them which makes viruses a major evolutionary force shaping infected bacteria [6,16].
    [Show full text]
  • Differences in Lateral Gene Transfer in Hypersaline Versus Thermal Environments Matthew E Rhodes1*, John R Spear2, Aharon Oren3 and Christopher H House1
    Rhodes et al. BMC Evolutionary Biology 2011, 11:199 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/11/199 RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access Differences in lateral gene transfer in hypersaline versus thermal environments Matthew E Rhodes1*, John R Spear2, Aharon Oren3 and Christopher H House1 Abstract Background: The role of lateral gene transfer (LGT) in the evolution of microorganisms is only beginning to be understood. While most LGT events occur between closely related individuals, inter-phylum and inter-domain LGT events are not uncommon. These distant transfer events offer potentially greater fitness advantages and it is for this reason that these “long distance” LGT events may have significantly impacted the evolution of microbes. One mechanism driving distant LGT events is microbial transformation. Theoretically, transformative events can occur between any two species provided that the DNA of one enters the habitat of the other. Two categories of microorganisms that are well-known for LGT are the thermophiles and halophiles. Results: We identified potential inter-class LGT events into both a thermophilic class of Archaea (Thermoprotei) and a halophilic class of Archaea (Halobacteria). We then categorized these LGT genes as originating in thermophiles and halophiles respectively. While more than 68% of transfer events into Thermoprotei taxa originated in other thermophiles, less than 11% of transfer events into Halobacteria taxa originated in other halophiles. Conclusions: Our results suggest that there is a fundamental difference between LGT in thermophiles and halophiles. We theorize that the difference lies in the different natures of the environments. While DNA degrades rapidly in thermal environments due to temperature-driven denaturization, hypersaline environments are adept at preserving DNA.
    [Show full text]
  • A Korarchaeal Genome Reveals Insights Into the Evolution of the Archaea
    A korarchaeal genome reveals insights into the evolution of the Archaea James G. Elkinsa,b, Mircea Podarc, David E. Grahamd, Kira S. Makarovae, Yuri Wolfe, Lennart Randauf, Brian P. Hedlundg, Ce´ line Brochier-Armaneth, Victor Kunini, Iain Andersoni, Alla Lapidusi, Eugene Goltsmani, Kerrie Barryi, Eugene V. Koonine, Phil Hugenholtzi, Nikos Kyrpidesi, Gerhard Wannerj, Paul Richardsoni, Martin Kellerc, and Karl O. Stettera,k,l aLehrstuhl fu¨r Mikrobiologie und Archaeenzentrum, Universita¨t Regensburg, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany; cBiosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831; dDepartment of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712; eNational Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894; fDepartment of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520; gSchool of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89154; hLaboratoire de Chimie Bacte´rienne, Unite´ Propre de Recherche 9043, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Universite´de Provence Aix-Marseille I, 13331 Marseille Cedex 3, France; iU.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA 94598; jInstitute of Botany, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, D-80638 Munich, Germany; and kInstitute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095 Communicated by Carl R. Woese, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, IL, April 2, 2008 (received for review January 7, 2008) The candidate division Korarchaeota comprises a group of uncul- and sediment samples from Obsidian Pool as an inoculum. The tivated microorganisms that, by their small subunit rRNA phylog- cultivation system supported the stable growth of a mixed commu- eny, may have diverged early from the major archaeal phyla nity of hyperthermophilic bacteria and archaea including an or- Crenarchaeota and Euryarchaeota.
    [Show full text]