Metallosphaera yellowstonensis

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Classification

Archaea (Domain); TACK group "Crenarchaeota" (Superphylum); Thermoproteota (Phylum); Thermoprotei (Class); Sulfolobales (Order); Sulfolobaceae (Family); Metallosphaera (Genus)

Species

NCBI: [1]

Description and Significance

This is a coccus-shaped chemolithoautotrophic archaea isolated from the hot springs of Yellowstone National Park (Kozubal et. al, 2008). M. yellowstonensis exists in Fe(II)-oxidizing microbial mats. Thermophilic chemolithoautotrophic acidophiles such as M. yellowstonensis have implications for understanding the evolutionary history of the Earth. This microorganism has implications for the origin of eukaryotes as well as insight into unique metabolic pathways in extreme environments (Jennings et. al, 2014). The ability to survive in Fe (II)-oxidizing mats with minimal nutrient requirements other than inorganic compounds suggests an important role as a primary producer in the extreme environment of the hot springs where it is found in. (Kozubal et.al, 2008).

Images of confocal microscopy of Fe microbial mats (Kozubal et. al, 2013). (a) Thermoproteota-specific 16s rRNA FISH. (b) Mat stained with SYBR gold.

Genome Structure

Describe the size and content of the genome. How many chromosomes? Circular or linear? Other interesting features? What is known about its sequence?

The genome of M. yellowstonensis is circular and large. In fact, it is the largest genome in the known Mettallosphaera genus at 2.82 Mb. Throughout the Mettallosphaera genus GC contents ranges from 42.0-50.4%. (Wang et.al, 2020). Most genes throughout the genome average around 1kbp in length. Additionally, these genes tend to be adjacent to neighboring genes and separated by less than 200bp. This results in high density coding regions and minimal noncoding regions (Agustín, 2001).

From a genome annotation that was performed on M. yellowstonensis MK1 strain, 3,309 genes could be identified in the genome. Of these, 2,907 could be identified as encoding for protein, 48 were identified as tRNA, 3 could be identified as rRNA [16s,23s, and 5s], and 349 genes were identified as being pseudogenes (Gene, 2024).

The prevalence of transposons in M. yellowstonensis, ~283 transposon sequences per genome, likely provides extra functionality via horizontal gene transfer events lending protection from the challenges of the hot spring environment. (Wang et.al, 2020)

Cell Structure, Metabolism and Life Cycle

Interesting features of cell structure; how it gains energy; what important molecules it produces.

M. yellowstonesis can utilize different sulfur compounds (sulfide, elemental sulfur, thiosulfate) derived from hotsprings and continental solfataras as an energy source. Additionally, M. yellowstonesis is capable of iron oxidation (fox genes), and also posses an abundant amount of carbohydrate active enzymes that encode for: glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, archaeal pentose phosphate pathway, an atypical TCA cycle, and complete non-phosphative and semi phosphorylative entner doudoroff pathways (Wang et.al, 2020).

M. yellowstonensis is unable to fix CO2 or CO to obtain carbon, and thus this must be obtained from autotrophic organisms present in the spring (Kozubal et.al, 2011).

Additionally, M. yellowstonesis has putative type I carbon monoxide dehydrogenase. M. yellowstonesis can also perform assimilatory nitrate reduction, with genes for nitrate and nitrite reductases. Unique from the rest of the genus, M. yellowstonensis MK1 also possesses an operon encoding for dissimilatory nitrate reductase (Wang et.al, 2020).

Ecology and Pathogenesis

Habitat; symbiosis; biogeochemical significance; contributions to environment.
If relevant, how does this organism cause disease? Human, animal, plant hosts? Virulence factors, as well as patient symptoms.

M. yellowstonensis is found in microbial mats (acidic ferric iron mats), which are highly diverse communities that can provide an extreme environment with low pH, high temperatures, low amounts of oxygen, and high concentrations of reduced iron (Kozubal et.al, 2008) Different organisms create the ribbons of color seen in the mats. In these mats millions of microbes can connect into long fillaments, or thick sturdy structures coated by chemical precipitates (Thermophilic, 2020) M. yellowstonensis produces EPS, which can be utilized in biofilm formation, and adhesion generally assisting in colonization, solubizing minerals, and increased protection form the environment. It also maintains a unique flagellum composition/mode of assembly different from that of bacteria found in the crenarchael flagellin and accessory proteins (Wang et.al, 2020).

M. yellowstonensis has the ability to survive in natural/anthropogenic metal-rich environments. Unique from its genus, yellowstonensis posesses an alkylmercury lyase, which is important for mercury detoxification (Wang et.al, 2020).

References

Agustín Vioque, & Altman, S. (2001). Ribonuclease P. Elsevier EBooks, 137–154. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-008043408-7/50030-7

Gene - GCF_000243315.1. (2024). NCBI. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/datasets/gene/GCF_000243315.1/?gene_type=other

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Guy, L., & Thijs J.G. Ettema. (2011). The archaeal “TACK” superphylum and the origin of eukaryotes. Trends in Microbiology (Regular Ed.), 19(12), 580–587. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2011.09.002

Jennings, R. M., Whitmore, L. M., Moran, J. J., Kreuzer, H. W., & Inskeep, W. P. (2014). Carbon Dioxide Fixation by Metallosphaera yellowstonensis and Acidothermophilic Iron-Oxidizing Microbial Communities from Yellowstone National Park. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 80(9), 2665–2671. https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.03416-13

‌ Kozubal, M., Macur, R. E., Korf, S., Taylor, W. P., Ackerman, G. G., Nagy, A., & Inskeep, W. P. (2008). Isolation and Distribution of a Novel Iron-Oxidizing Crenarchaeon from Acidic Geothermal Springs in Yellowstone National Park. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 74(4), 942–949. https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.01200-07

Kozubal, M. A., Mensur Dlakic, Macur, R. E., & Inskeep, W. P. (2011). Terminal Oxidase Diversity and Function in “ Metallosphaera yellowstonensis ”: Gene Expression and Protein Modeling Suggest Mechanisms of Fe(II) Oxidation in the Sulfolobales. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 77(5), 1844–1853. https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.01646-10 ‌

Macur, R. E., Langner, H. W., Kocar, B. D., & Inskeep, W. P. (2004). Linking geochemical processes with microbial community analysis: successional dynamics in an arsenic‐rich, acid‐sulphate‐chloride geothermal spring. Geobiology, 2(3), 163–177. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1472-4677.2004.00032.x

Metallosphaera yellowstonensis MK1 MetMK1scaffold_10, whole genome sho - Nucleotide - NCBI. (2024). Nih.gov. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/NZ_JH597761

Summary of Metallosphaera yellowstonensis MK1, version 28.0. (2022). Biocyc.org. https://biocyc.org/GCF_000243315/organism-summary

taxonomy. (2020). Taxonomy browser (Metallosphaera yellowstonensis). Nih.gov. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?mode=Undef&id=1111107&lvl=3&lin=s&keep=1&srchmode=1&unlock&log_op=lineage_toggle

Thermophilic Communities - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service). (2020). Nps.gov. https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/thermophilic-communities.htm

Wang, P., Liang Zhi Li, Ya Ling Qin, Zong Lin Liang, Xiu Tong Li, Hua Qun Yin, Li Jun Liu, Liu, S.-J., & Jiang, C.-Y. (2020). Comparative Genomic Analysis Reveals the Metabolism and Evolution of the Thermophilic Archaeal Genus Metallosphaera. Frontiers in Microbiology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2020.01192

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Author

Page authored by _____, student of Prof. Jay Lennon at IndianaUniversity.