Methanosaeta thermophila

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Methanosaeta thermophila


● ~Classification~

            Organism Name:	Methanosaeta thermophila PT
                   Domain:	Archaea
                   Phylum:	Euryarchaeota
                    Class:	Methanomicrobia
                    Order:	Methanosarcinales
                   Family:	Methanosaetaceae
                    Genus: 	Methanosaeta
                  Species:     Methanothrix thermophila
     Genus Species Strain:     Methanosaeta thermophila PT
             Name History:	Synonyms: Methanothrix thermophila PT
                                         Methanothrix thermophila DSM 6194 
                               Equivalent names: Methanosaeta thermophila strain PT
                                                 Methanosaeta thermophila str. PT

●~Description and Significance~


           Methanosaeta thermophila are a diverse group of widely distributed anaerobic 

archaea that inhabit anaerobic environments, such as the intestinal tracts of animals, freshwater and marine sediments, sewage, anaerobic biofilms, and anaerobic sediments. These archaea are methanogens, which means they are capable of producing methane from a limited number of substrates, including carbon dioxide, hydrogen, acetate, and methylamines. Methanosaeta thermophila are nonmotile, nonsporulating, and thermophilic, which means they thrive at temperatures of 50ºC or higher.

          This microbe was discovered by a molecular technique using fluorogenic PCR (polymerase
chain reaction, which amplifies DNA) to identify its methanotrophic characteristics and activity
in marine anoxic microbial communities. This was accomplished by identifying and quantifying the
mcrA genes. Following amplification, molecular analysis was performed by clone analysis of the 

16S rRNA and mcrA genes. The mcrA genes (encoding the methyl coenzyme M reductase, specific to methanogenic archaea), are specific to the various phylogenetic groups of methanotropic Archaea. Methanosaeta thermophila was identified among the microbial communities in deep sediments and “methane seepages of Omine Ridge in the Nankai Trough accretionary prism,” (1).

           The addition of Methanosaeta to the methanoarchaeal genome sequence compilation offered an opportunity to gain significant insight into this intricate microbe and the unique use of comparative genomic approaches allows one to address the nature of these specific microbes and their biological influence and capability. Because these microbes are methanogens, they serve an important role as the producers of natural gas and have potential as creators of biofuels (fuels derived from a biomass).