Methanofollis

From MicrobeWiki, the student-edited microbiology resource

A Microbial Biorealm page on the genus Methanofollis

Also see Methanogens overview.

Contents 1 Classification 1.1 Higher order taxa 1.2 Species 2 Description and significance 3 Genome structure 4 Cell structure and metabolism 5 Ecology 6 References

Classification

Higher order taxa

Archaea; Euryarchaeota; Methanomicrobia; Methanomicrobiales; Methanomicrobiaceae

Species

Methanofollis aquaemaris, M. formosanus, M. liminatans, M. tationis

NCBI: Taxonomy Genome

Description and significance

Methanofollis ("a methane-producing bag") is a non-motile, Gram-negative, obligately anaerobic, mesophilic archaeon that produces methane. It grows between the temperatures 20-45°C (optimuim = 34-40°C), and at the pH value of around 7.

Genome structure

The genome of the archaeon has not yet sequenced. The G + C content of the DNA is determined to be 60.0%.

Cell structure and metabolism

The cells of Methanofollis are highly irregular cocci, with diameter of 1.25-2.0µm. The major polar lipids are phospholipids, glycolipids, and phosphoglycolipids.
It utilizes H₂/CO₂, formate, 2-propanol/CO₂, and 2-butanol/CO₂ for growth and methanogenesis. No growth has been observed on acetate, trimethylamine, methanol, ethanol, 2-propanol, isobutanol, or 2-butanol as catabolic substrates.

Ecology

Most species of the archaeon are isolated from anaerobic high-rate wastewater bioreactors or solfataric fields. For example, M. tationis was isolated from a solfataric field on Mount Tatio in the Atacama desert in northern Chile.

References

Lai, M. C. and Chen, S. C. "Methanofollis aquaemaris sp. nov., a methanogen isolated from an aquaculture fish pond." International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology (2001). Volume 51. p. 1873-1880.

Zellner, G., Boone, D.R., Keswani, J., Whitman, W.B., Woese, C.R., Hagelstein A., Tindall B.J., and Stackebrandt, E. "Reclassification of Methanogenium tationis and Methanogenium liminatans as Methanofollis tationis gen. nov., comb. nov. and Methanofollis liminatans comb. nov. and description of a new strain of Methanofollis liminatans." International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology (1999). Volume 49. p. 247-255.