Archaea Genomes - METHANOPYRUS KANDLERI

Methanopyrus kandleri is a a rod-shaped organism that grows optimally at temperatures near and above the boiling point of water. The microbe was isolated from the sea floor at the base of a 'black smoker' chimney in the Gulf of California.

M. kandleri proteins show an unusually high content of negatively charged amino acids, which might be an adaptation to the high intracellular salinity. The genome of M. kandleri is very GC-rich.

The comparision of M. kandleri genome with other methanogens shows that genes implicated in methanogenesis and, in part, its operon organisation are shared with Methanococcus jannaschii and Methanothermobacter thermoautotrophicum. These findings indicate that archaeal methanogens are monophyletic (of the same origin).

A distinctive feature of M. kandleri is the paucity of proteins involved in signalling and regulation of gene expression, reflecting the "minimalistic" nature of this archaeon.

Also, M. kandleri appears to have fewer genes acquired via lateral transfer than other archaea. This feature might reflect the fact that the extreme habitat of this organism doesn't provide the opportunities for lateral gene transfer.

References:

http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org/articles/04_02/methanopyrus_genome.shtml