Cited by 541Microbial Community Ecology and PhysiologyGenomics and Phylogenetic StudiesMethane Hydrates and Related Phenomena

Genomic Expansion of Domain Archaea Highlights Roles for Organisms from New Phyla in Anaerobic Carbon Cycling

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Castelle, Cindy J., Wrighton, Kelly C., Thomas, Brian C., Hug, Laura A., Brown, Christopher T., Wilkins, Michael J., Frischkorn, Kyle R., Tringe, Susannah G. +5 more·2015·Current Biology

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.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.cub.2015.01.014

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  • The bacterial candidate phyla radiation (CPR) and the DPANN archaea diversify near the base of the Bacteria and Archaea respectively.

    “Trees visualized at https://itol.embl.de/itol.cgiusing Netwick files from Hug et al. (2016) concatenated ribosomal proteins in place of 16S rRNA genes (Fig. 3B) indicate that a large radiation of predominantly uncultured mesophilic taxa, which are comprised of potentially symbiotic organisms with small cells and genomes and are referred to as the bacterial candidate phyla radiation (CPR) and the”

    From The Emergence of Life (2019) · cites this paper as Castelle et al. 2015

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Authors
Castelle, C. J., Wrighton, K. C., Thomas, B. C., Hug, L. A., Brown, C. T., Wilkins, M. J., Frischkorn, K. R., Tringe, S. G., Singh, A., Markillie, L. M., Taylor, R. C., Williams, K. H., & Banfield, J. F.
Affiliations
  • University of California, Berkeley (US)
  • The Ohio State University (US)
  • Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (US)
  • Joint Genome Institute (US)
  • Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (US)
  • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (US)
Corresponding author
Banfield, Jillian F.
Venue
Current Biology
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2015-03
Volume
25
Issue
6
Pages
690-701
ISSN
0960-9822 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2117349822
Cited by
536
References
72
Citations by year
2026: 19 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 38 · 2022: 52 · 2021: 59 · 2020: 64 · 2019: 54 · 2018: 65 · 2017: 60 · 2016: 57 · 2015: 14 · 2012: 1
FWCI
59.19
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Current Biology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
  • OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • US Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research (DE-AC02-05CH11231, DE-SC0004918)
  • US DOE Joint Genome Institute, a DOE Office of Science User Facility (DE-AC02-05CH11231)
  • DOE Office of Biological and Environmental Research
  • US DOE (DE-AC06-76RLO 1830)
  • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada postdoctoral fellowship
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Methane Hydrates and Related Phenomena
Keywords
genome-resolved metagenomics, fermentation, aquifer sediments, archaeal diversity
MeSH terms
Anaerobiosis, Archaea, Models, Biological, Models, Genetic, Phylogeny, Genome, Archaeal, Biodiversity, Metagenomics, Carbon Cycle

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