Publication Date:
2021-10-20
Description:
Methanogens are considered as one of the earliest life forms on Earth, and together with anaerobic methane-oxidizing
archaea, they have crucial effects on climate stability. However, the origin and evolution of anaerobic
alkane metabolism in the domain Archaea remain controversial. Here, we present evidence that methylotrophic
methanogenesis was the ancestral form of this metabolism. Carbon dioxide–reducing methanogenesis developed
later through the evolution of tetrahydromethanopterin S-methyltransferase, which linked methanogenesis to
the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway for energy conservation. Anaerobic multicarbon alkane metabolisms in Archaea
also originated early, with genes coding for the activation of short-chain or even long-chain alkanes likely evolving
from an ethane-metabolizing ancestor. These genes were likely horizontally transferred to multiple archaeal
clades including Candidatus (Ca.) Bathyarchaeia, Ca. Lokiarchaeia, Ca. Hadarchaeia, and the methanogenic
Ca. Methanoliparia.
Repository Name:
EPIC Alfred Wegener Institut
Type:
Article
,
isiRev
Format:
application/pdf
