Cindy J Castelle1, Kelly C Wrighton2, Brian C Thomas1, Laura A Hug1, Christopher T Brown3, Michael J Wilkins4, Kyle R Frischkorn5, Susannah G Tringe6, Andrea Singh1, Lye Meng Markillie7, Ronald C Taylor7, Kenneth H Williams8, Jillian F Banfield9. 1. Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA. 2. Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210 USA. 3. Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA. 4. Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210 USA; School of Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210 USA. 5. Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, New York, NY 10964 USA. 6. Metagenome Program, DOE Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA 94598 USA. 7. Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352 USA. 8. Earth Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. 9. Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA; Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA. Electronic address: jbanfield@berkeley.edu.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Archaea represent a significant fraction of Earth's biodiversity, yet they remain much less well understood than Bacteria. Gene surveys, a few metagenomic studies, and some single-cell sequencing projects have revealed numerous little-studied archaeal phyla. Certain lineages appear to branch deeply and may be part of a major phylum radiation. The structure of this radiation and the physiology of the organisms remain almost unknown. RESULTS: We used genome-resolved metagenomic analyses to investigate the diversity, genomes sizes, metabolic capacities, and potential roles of Archaea in terrestrial subsurface biogeochemical cycles. We sequenced DNA from complex sediment and planktonic consortia from an aquifer adjacent to the Colorado River (USA) and reconstructed the first complete genomes for Archaea using cultivation-independent methods. To provide taxonomic context, we analyzed an additional 151 newly sampled archaeal sequences. We resolved two new phyla within a major, apparently deep-branching group of phyla (a superphylum). The organisms have small genomes, and metabolic predictions indicate that their primary contributions to Earth's biogeochemical cycles involve carbon and hydrogen metabolism, probably associated with symbiotic and/or fermentation-based lifestyles. CONCLUSIONS: The results dramatically expand genomic sampling of the domain Archaea and clarify taxonomic designations within a major superphylum. This study, in combination with recently published work on bacterial phyla lacking cultivated representatives, reveals a fascinating phenomenon of major radiations of organisms with small genomes, novel proteome composition, and strong interdependence in both domains.
BACKGROUND: Archaea represent a significant fraction of Earth's biodiversity, yet they remain much less well understood than Bacteria. Gene surveys, a few metagenomic studies, and some single-cell sequencing projects have revealed numerous little-studied archaeal phyla. Certain lineages appear to branch deeply and may be part of a major phylum radiation. The structure of this radiation and the physiology of the organisms remain almost unknown. RESULTS: We used genome-resolved metagenomic analyses to investigate the diversity, genomes sizes, metabolic capacities, and potential roles of Archaea in terrestrial subsurface biogeochemical cycles. We sequenced DNA from complex sediment and planktonic consortia from an aquifer adjacent to the Colorado River (USA) and reconstructed the first complete genomes for Archaea using cultivation-independent methods. To provide taxonomic context, we analyzed an additional 151 newly sampled archaeal sequences. We resolved two new phyla within a major, apparently deep-branching group of phyla (a superphylum). The organisms have small genomes, and metabolic predictions indicate that their primary contributions to Earth's biogeochemical cycles involve carbon and hydrogen metabolism, probably associated with symbiotic and/or fermentation-based lifestyles. CONCLUSIONS: The results dramatically expand genomic sampling of the domain Archaea and clarify taxonomic designations within a major superphylum. This study, in combination with recently published work on bacterial phyla lacking cultivated representatives, reveals a fascinating phenomenon of major radiations of organisms with small genomes, novel proteome composition, and strong interdependence in both domains.
Authors: Christoph Reitschuler; Christoph Spötl; Katrin Hofmann; Andreas O Wagner; Paul Illmer Journal: Microb Ecol Date: 2016-01-20 Impact factor: 4.552
Authors: Christopher T Brown; Laura A Hug; Brian C Thomas; Itai Sharon; Cindy J Castelle; Andrea Singh; Michael J Wilkins; Kelly C Wrighton; Kenneth H Williams; Jillian F Banfield Journal: Nature Date: 2015-06-15 Impact factor: 49.962
Authors: Katarzyna Zaremba-Niedzwiedzka; Eva F Caceres; Jimmy H Saw; Disa Bäckström; Lina Juzokaite; Emmelien Vancaester; Kiley W Seitz; Karthik Anantharaman; Piotr Starnawski; Kasper U Kjeldsen; Matthew B Stott; Takuro Nunoura; Jillian F Banfield; Andreas Schramm; Brett J Baker; Anja Spang; Thijs J G Ettema Journal: Nature Date: 2017-01-11 Impact factor: 49.962
Authors: Nina Dombrowski; John A Donaho; Tony Gutierrez; Kiley W Seitz; Andreas P Teske; Brett J Baker Journal: Nat Microbiol Date: 2016-05-09 Impact factor: 17.745