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| Sulfolobus tokodaii: A genome from Japan | ||||||
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By Birgit Reinert November 21, 2001 |
Yutaka Kawarabayasi, of the Biotechnology Center at the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation in Tokyo, Japan, and colleagues determined the S. tokodaii genome sequence using the whole-genome shotgun method. The genome is about 2.69 million base pairs long, and the analysis of the genome revealed 2,826 genes, or protein-coding regions. The researchers identified many genes related to energy metabolism and a total of eight genes related to sulfide metabolism. "Confirmation of their activities would provide valuable information for sulfide metabolism in this microorganism and facilitate the improvement of this system for industrial applications," the researchers write in DNA Research. Sulfolobus tokodaii grows optimally at 80 degrees Celsius in an acidic, sulfur-rich environment.
The researchers could distinguish between genes of known and unknown function by comparing the S. tokodaii sequence to two closely related species—Aeropyrum pernix and Pyrococcus horikoshii—whose genome sequences they had previously determined. About one third of the genes had no known function and did not show any significant similarity to the registered sequences of the other two organisms. Sequence comparison also identified remnants of a plasmid from an ancestral species, which is integrated in the S. tokodaii genome. The vast majority of genes associated with the plasmid is scattered across the genome and their function is yet unknown. The researchers suggest that they "may be indispensable for S. tokodaii strain7, as these genes have been maintained in the genome until now." Sulfolobus tokodaii is a member of the archaea, a third branch of life next to eukaryotes (animals, plants, and fungi) and bacteria. The researchers detected fourteen genes that resemble those in eukaryotes, which have not been found in other archaea before. This led the researchers to conclude that of all the sequenced archaea to date, S. tokodaii is the one most closest related to eukaryotes. Archaea thrive in the most extreme environments on earth, and laboratories worldwide are exploring the thermostability of proteins and the biological catalysts, or enzymes. A physical map of the S. tokodaii genome can be viewed at the Biotechnology Center's website. See related GNN article
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apanese
researchers have determined the complete genome sequence of Sulfolobus
tokodaii strain7, an organism that was isolated from Beppu hot springs
in Kyusyu, Japan in 1983. The microorganism is able to convert hydrogen
sulfide to sulfate, and the identification of genes involved in this intracellular
process may have applications in industry, such as the treatment of industrial
wastewater.
