Archaea Genomes - METHANOSARCINA ACETIVORANS

Methanosarcina species live in oil wells, sewage lagoons, trash dumps, decaying leaves, stream sediments, and other similar environments. Only Methanosarcina species possess all three known pathways for methanogenesis and are capable of utilising a variety of methanogenic substrates, including acetate. They releases methane into the global carbon cycle (methane is both a potential alternative energy source and a potent greenhouse gas).

M. acetivorans is unique among archaea in forming multicellular structures or colonies.

The complete genome of Methanosarcina acetivorans str. C2A should provide some clues to the organism's capacity to adapt and break down a variety of waste products.

At the moment of completion, the genome of Methanosarcina acetivorans was by far the largest of all sequenced archaeal genomes.

References:

http://www-genome.wi.mit.edu/annotation/microbes/methanosarcina/background.html
http://genomenewsnetwork.org/articles/04_02/m_acetivorans_seq.shtml