Skip to main content
bioRxiv
  • Home
  • About
  • Submit
  • ALERTS / RSS
Advanced Search
New Results

Recoding enhances the metabolic capabilities of two novel methylotrophic Asgardarchaeota lineages

Jiarui Sun, View ORCID ProfilePaul N. Evans, View ORCID ProfileEmma J. Gagen, View ORCID ProfileBen J. Woodcroft, View ORCID ProfileBrian P. Hedlund, View ORCID ProfileTanja Woyke, View ORCID ProfilePhilip Hugenholtz, View ORCID ProfileChristian Rinke
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.02.19.431964
Jiarui Sun
1Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Paul N. Evans
1Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Paul N. Evans
Emma J. Gagen
1Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
2School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Emma J. Gagen
Ben J. Woodcroft
1Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
3Centre for Microbiome Research, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, Australia
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Ben J. Woodcroft
Brian P. Hedlund
4School of Life Sciences and Nevada Institute of Personalized Medicine, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Brian P. Hedlund
Tanja Woyke
5DOE Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA, USA
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Tanja Woyke
Philip Hugenholtz
1Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Philip Hugenholtz
Christian Rinke
1Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Christian Rinke
  • For correspondence: c.rinke@uq.edu.au
  • Abstract
  • Full Text
  • Info/History
  • Metrics
  • Preview PDF
Loading

Abstract

Asgardarchaeota have been proposed as the closest living relatives to eukaryotes, and a total of 72 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) representing six primary lineages in this archaeal phylum have thus far been described. These organisms are predicted to be fermentative organoheterotrophs contributing to carbon cycling in sediment ecosystems. Here, we double the genomic catalogue of Asgardarchaeota by obtaining 71 MAGs from a range of habitats around the globe, including deep subsurface, shallow lake, and geothermal spring sediments. Phylogenomic inferences followed by taxonomic rank normalisation confirmed previously established Asgardarchaeota classes and revealed four novel lineages, two of which were consistently recovered as monophyletic classes. We therefore propose the names Candidatus Hodarchaeia class nov. and Cand. Jordarchaeia class nov., derived from the gods Hod and Jord in Norse mythology. Metabolic inference suggests that both novel classes represent methylotrophic acetogens, encoding the transfer of methyl groups, such as methylated amines, to coenzyme M with acetate as the end product in remnants of a methanogen-derived core metabolism. This inferred mode of energy conservation is predicted to be enhanced by genetic code expansions, i.e. recoding, allowing the incorporation of the rare 21st and 22nd amino acids selenocysteine (Sec) and pyrrolysine (Pyl). We found Sec recoding in Jordarchaeia and all other Asgardarchaeota classes, which likely benefit from increased catalytic activities of Sec-containing enzymes. Pyl recoding on the other hand is restricted to Hodarchaeia in the Asgardarchaeota, making it the first reported non-methanogenic lineage with an inferred complete Pyl machinery, likely providing this class with an efficient mechanism for methylamine utilisation. Furthermore, we identified enzymes for the biosynthesis of ester-type lipids, characteristic of Bacteria and Eukaryotes, in both novel classes, supporting the hypothesis that mixed ether-ester lipids are a shared feature among Asgardarchaeota.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
Back to top
PreviousNext
Posted February 19, 2021.
Download PDF
Email

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about bioRxiv.

NOTE: Your email address is requested solely to identify you as the sender of this article.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Recoding enhances the metabolic capabilities of two novel methylotrophic Asgardarchaeota lineages
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from bioRxiv
(Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from the bioRxiv website.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Share
Recoding enhances the metabolic capabilities of two novel methylotrophic Asgardarchaeota lineages
Jiarui Sun, Paul N. Evans, Emma J. Gagen, Ben J. Woodcroft, Brian P. Hedlund, Tanja Woyke, Philip Hugenholtz, Christian Rinke
bioRxiv 2021.02.19.431964; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.02.19.431964
Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Google logo LinkedIn logo Mendeley logo
Citation Tools
Recoding enhances the metabolic capabilities of two novel methylotrophic Asgardarchaeota lineages
Jiarui Sun, Paul N. Evans, Emma J. Gagen, Ben J. Woodcroft, Brian P. Hedlund, Tanja Woyke, Philip Hugenholtz, Christian Rinke
bioRxiv 2021.02.19.431964; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.02.19.431964

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Subject Area

  • Microbiology
Subject Areas
All Articles
  • Animal Behavior and Cognition (3602)
  • Biochemistry (7567)
  • Bioengineering (5522)
  • Bioinformatics (20782)
  • Biophysics (10325)
  • Cancer Biology (7978)
  • Cell Biology (11635)
  • Clinical Trials (138)
  • Developmental Biology (6602)
  • Ecology (10200)
  • Epidemiology (2065)
  • Evolutionary Biology (13611)
  • Genetics (9539)
  • Genomics (12844)
  • Immunology (7919)
  • Microbiology (19538)
  • Molecular Biology (7657)
  • Neuroscience (42081)
  • Paleontology (308)
  • Pathology (1257)
  • Pharmacology and Toxicology (2201)
  • Physiology (3267)
  • Plant Biology (7038)
  • Scientific Communication and Education (1294)
  • Synthetic Biology (1951)
  • Systems Biology (5426)
  • Zoology (1116)