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Patrick Forterre - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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comparison of plasmid dna topology among mesophilic and thermophilic eubacteria and Archaebacteria
Journal of Bacteriology, 1994Co-Authors: F Charbonnier, Patrick ForterreAbstract:Several plasmid DNAs have been isolated from mesophilic and thermophilic Archaebacteria. Their superhelical densities were estimated at their host strain's optimal growth temperature, and in some representative strains, the presence of reverse gyrase activity (positive DNA supercoiling) was investigated. We show here that these plasmids can be grouped in two clusters with respect to their topological state. The group I plasmids have a highly negatively supercoiled DNA and belong to the mesophilic Archaebacteria and all types of eubacteria. The group II plasmids have DNA which is close to the relaxed state and belong exclusively to the thermophilic Archaebacteria. All Archaebacteria containing a relaxed plasmid, with the exception of the moderately thermophilic methanogen Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum Marburg, also exhibit reverse gyrase activity. These findings show that extrachromosomal DNAs with very different topological states coexist in the Archaebacterial domain.
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evolution of glutamate dehydrogenase genes evidence for two paralogous protein families and unusual branching patterns of the Archaebacteria in the universal tree of life
Journal of Molecular Evolution, 1993Co-Authors: Nadia Benachenhoulahfa, Patrick Forterre, Bernard LabedanAbstract:The existence of two families of genes coding for hexameric glutamate dehydrogenases has been deduced from the alignment of 21 primary sequences and the determination of the percentages of similarity between each pair of proteins. Each family could also be characterized by specific motifs. One family (Family 1) was composed of gdh genes from six eubacteria and six lower eukaryotes (the primitive protozoan Giardia lamblia, the green alga Chlorella sorokiniana, and several fungi and yeasts). The other one (Family 11) was composed of gdh genes from two eubacteria, two Archaebacteria, and five higher eukaryotes (vertebrates). Reconstruction of phylogenetic trees using several parsimony and distance methods confirmed the existence of these two families. Therefore, these results reinforced our previously proposed hypothesis that two close but already different gdh genes were present in the last common ancestor to the three Ur-kingdoms (eubacteria, Archaebacteria, and eukaryotes). The branching order of the different species of Family I was found to be the same whatever the method of tree reconstruction although it varied slightly according the region analyzed. Similarly, the topological positions of eubacteria and eukaryotes of Family II were independent of the method used. However, the branching of the two Archaebacteria in Family II appeared to be unexpected: (1) the thermoacidophilic Sulfolobus solfataricus was found clustered with the two eubacteria of this family both in parsimony and distance trees, a situation not predicted by either one of the contradictory trees recently proposed; and (2) the branching of the halophilic Halobacterium salinarium varied according to the method of tree construction: it was closer to the eubacteria in the maximum parsimony tree and to eukaryotesin distance trees. Therefore, whatever the actual position of the halophilic species, Archaebacteria did not appear to be monophyletic in these gdh gene trees. This result questions the firmness of the presently accepted interpretation of previous protein trees which were supposed to root unambiguously the universal tree of life and place the Archaebacteria in this tree.
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reverse gyrase a hallmark of the hyperthermophilic Archaebacteria
Journal of Bacteriology, 1990Co-Authors: Bouthier C De La Tour, Karl O Stetter, Patrick Forterre, Christiane Portemer, M Nadal, Michel DuguetAbstract:Investigation of the presence of a reverse gyrase-like activity in Archaebacteria revealed wide distribution of this activity in hyperthermophilic species, including methanogens and sulfur-dependent organisms. In contrast, no reverse gyrase activity was detected in mesophilic and moderately thermophilic organisms, which exhibited only an ATP-independent activity of DNA relaxation. These results suggest that the presence of reverse gyrase in Archaebacteria is tightly linked to the high growth temperatures of these organisms. With respect to antigenic properties, the enzyme appeared similar among members of the genus Sulfolobus. In contrast, no close antigenic relatedness was found between the reverse gyrase of members of the order Sulfolobales and that of the other hyperthermophilic organisms. Images
Michel Duguet - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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reverse gyrase a hallmark of the hyperthermophilic Archaebacteria
Journal of Bacteriology, 1990Co-Authors: Bouthier C De La Tour, Karl O Stetter, Patrick Forterre, Christiane Portemer, M Nadal, Michel DuguetAbstract:Investigation of the presence of a reverse gyrase-like activity in Archaebacteria revealed wide distribution of this activity in hyperthermophilic species, including methanogens and sulfur-dependent organisms. In contrast, no reverse gyrase activity was detected in mesophilic and moderately thermophilic organisms, which exhibited only an ATP-independent activity of DNA relaxation. These results suggest that the presence of reverse gyrase in Archaebacteria is tightly linked to the high growth temperatures of these organisms. With respect to antigenic properties, the enzyme appeared similar among members of the genus Sulfolobus. In contrast, no close antigenic relatedness was found between the reverse gyrase of members of the order Sulfolobales and that of the other hyperthermophilic organisms. Images
Radhey S Gupta - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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what are Archaebacteria life s third domain or monoderm prokaryotes related to gram positive bacteria a new proposal for the classification of prokaryotic organisms
Molecular Microbiology, 1998Co-Authors: Radhey S GuptaAbstract:: The evolutionary relationship within prokaryotes is examined based on signature sequences (defined as conserved inserts or deletions shared by specific taxa) and phylogenies derived from different proteins. Archaebacteria are indicated as being monophyletic by a number of proteins related to the information transfer processes. In contrast, for several other highly conserved proteins, common signature sequences are present in Archaebacteria and Gram-positive bacteria, whereas Gram-negative bacteria are indicated as being distinct. For these proteins, Archaebacteria do not form a phylogenetically distinct clade but show polyphyletic branching within Gram-positive bacteria. A closer relationship of Archaebacteria to Gram-positive bacteria in comparison with Gram-negative bacteria is generally seen for the majority of the available gene/ protein sequences. To account for these results and the fact that both Archaebacteria and Gram-positive bacteria are prokaryotes surrounded by a single cell membrane, I propose that the primary division within prokaryotes is between monoderm prokaryotes (surrounded by a single membrane) and diderm prokaryotes (i.e. all true Gram-negative bacteria containing both an inner cytoplasmic membrane and an outer membrane). This proposal is consistent with both cell morphology and signature sequences in different proteins. The monophyletic nature of Archaebacteria for some genes, and their polyphyletic branching within Gram-positive bacteria as suggested by others, is critically examined, and several explanations, including derivation of Archaebacteria from Gram-positive bacteria in response to antibiotic selection pressure, are proposed. Signature sequences in proteins also indicate that the low-G+C Gram-positive bacteria are phylogenetically distinct from the high-G+C Gram-positive group and that the diderm prokaryotes (i.e. Gram-negative bacteria) appear to have evolved from the latter group. Protein phylogenies and signature sequences also show that all eukaryotic cells have received significant gene contributions from both an archaebacterium and a Gram-negative eubacterium. Thus, the hypothesis that Archaebacteria and eukaryotes shared a common ancestor exclusive of eubacteria is not supported. These observations provide evidence for an alternate view of the evolutionary relationship among living organisms that is different from the currently popular three-domain proposal.
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the sequences of heat shock protein 40 dnaj homologs provide evidence for a close evolutionary relationship between the deinococcus thermus group and cyanobacteria
Journal of Molecular Evolution, 1997Co-Authors: Kevin Bustard, Radhey S GuptaAbstract:The genes encoding for heat shock protein 40 (Hsp40 or DnaJ) homologs were cloned and sequenced from the archaebacterium Halobacterium cutirubrum and the eubacterium Deinococcus proteolyticus to add to sequences from the gene banks. These genes were identified downstream of the Hsp70 (or DnaK) genes in genomic fragments spanning this region and, as in other prokaryotic species, Hsp70- Hsp40 genes are likely part of the same operon. The Hsp40 homolog from D. proteolyticus was found to be lacking a central 204 base pair region present in H. cutirubrum that encodes for the four cysteine-rich domains of the repeat consensus sequence CxxCxGxG (where x is any amino acid), present in most Hsp40 homologs. The available sequences from various Archaebacteria, eubacteria, and eukaryotes show that the same deletion is also present in the homologs from Thermus aquaticus and two cyanobacteria, but in no other species tested. This unique deletion and the clustering of homologs from the Deinococcus- Thermus group and cyanobacterial species in the Hsp40 phylogenetic trees suggest a close evolutionary relationship between these groups as was also shown recently for Hsp70 sequences (R.S. Gupta et al., J Bacteriol 179:345-357, 1997). Sequence comparisons indicate that the Hsp40 homologs are not as conserved as the Hsp70 sequences. Phylogenetic analysis provides no reliable information concerning evolutionary relationship between prokaryotes and eukaryotes and their usefulness in this regard is limited. However, in phylogenetic trees based on Hsp40 sequences, the two Archaebacterial homologs showed a polyphyletic branching within Gram-positive bacteria, similar to that seen with Hsp70 sequences.
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evolution of hsp70 gene and its implications regarding relationships between Archaebacteria eubacteria and eukaryotes
Journal of Molecular Evolution, 1993Co-Authors: Radhey S Gupta, Brian G GoldingAbstract:The 70-kDa heat-shock protein (HSP70) constitutes the most conserved protein present in all organisms that is known to date. Based on global alignment of HSP70 sequences from organisms representing all three domains, numerous sequence signatures that are specific for prokaryotic and eukaryotic homologs have been identified. HSP70s from the two Archaebacterial species examined (viz., Halobacterium marismortui and Methanosarcina mazei) have been found to contain all eubacterial but no eukaryotic signature sequences. Based on several novel features of the HSP70 family of proteins (viz., presence of tandem repeats of a 9-amino-acid [a.a.] polypeptide sequence and structural similarity between the first and second quadrants of HSP70, homology of the N-terminal half of HSP70 to the bacterial MreB protein, presence of a conserved insert of 23–27 a.a. in all HSP70s except those from Archaebacteria and gram-positive eubacteria) a model for the evolution of HSP70 gene from an early stage is proposed. The HSP70 homologs from Archaebacteria and gram-positive bacteria lacking the insert in the N-terminal quadrants are indicated to be the ancestral form of the protein. Detailed phylogenetic analyses of HSP70 sequence data (viz., by bootstrap analyses, maximum parsimony, and maximum likelihood methods) provide evidence that Archaebacteria are not monophyletic and show a close evolutionary linkage with the gram-positive eubacteria. These results do not support the traditional Archaebacterial tree, where a close relationship between Archaebacterial and eukaryotic homologs is observed. To explain the phylogenies based on HSP70 and other gene sequences, a model for the origin of eukaryotic cells involving fusion between Archaebacteria and gram-negative eubacteria is proposed.
Karl O Stetter - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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a novel atpase complex selectively accumulated upon heat shock is a major cellular component of thermophilic Archaebacteria
The EMBO Journal, 1991Co-Authors: B M Phipps, Karl O Stetter, Anke Hoffmann, Wolfgang BaumeisterAbstract:We have discovered a large cylindrical protein complex which is an abundant component of the cytoplasm of extremely thermophilic Archaebacteria. Structural analysis by image processing of electron micrographs suggests that the complex is composed of two stacked rings of eight subunits each; the rings enclose a central channel. The complex purified from the hyperthermophile Pyrodictium occultum is composed of equal quantities of two polypeptides of Mr 56,000 and 59,000. It exhibits an extremely thermostable ATPase activity with a temperature optimum of 100 degrees C. The basal level of the ATPase complex in the cell is high, and it becomes highly enriched as a result of heat shock (shift from 102 degrees C to 108 degrees C) or balanced growth at temperatures near the physiological upper limit. Immunoblotting results indicate that a related protein is present in most thermophilic Archaebacteria and in Escherichia coli. This protein complex may play an important role in the adaptation of thermophilic Archaebacteria to life at high temperature.
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reverse gyrase a hallmark of the hyperthermophilic Archaebacteria
Journal of Bacteriology, 1990Co-Authors: Bouthier C De La Tour, Karl O Stetter, Patrick Forterre, Christiane Portemer, M Nadal, Michel DuguetAbstract:Investigation of the presence of a reverse gyrase-like activity in Archaebacteria revealed wide distribution of this activity in hyperthermophilic species, including methanogens and sulfur-dependent organisms. In contrast, no reverse gyrase activity was detected in mesophilic and moderately thermophilic organisms, which exhibited only an ATP-independent activity of DNA relaxation. These results suggest that the presence of reverse gyrase in Archaebacteria is tightly linked to the high growth temperatures of these organisms. With respect to antigenic properties, the enzyme appeared similar among members of the genus Sulfolobus. In contrast, no close antigenic relatedness was found between the reverse gyrase of members of the order Sulfolobales and that of the other hyperthermophilic organisms. Images
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hyperthermophilic Archaebacteria within the crater and open sea plume of erupting macdonald seamount
Nature, 1990Co-Authors: Robert Huber, P Stotters, J L Cheminee, Hans H Richnow, Karl O StetterAbstract:HYPERTHERMOPHILIC Archaebacteria, found in terrestrial and submarine hydrothermal areas1–6, thrive at temperatures between 80 and 110 °C and are unable to grow below 60 °C. They represent life at the known upper temperature limit. On the continent, their biotopes are solfataric fields and hot springs. Within the marine environment, hyperthermophilic Archaebacteria have been found in shallow-water hydrothermal fields as well as in deep hot sediments and vents1,2,4–6. They include strictly anaerobic sul-phidogenic and methanogenic chemolithoautotrophs as well as fermentative and sulphidogenic heterotrophs, and are important as primary producers and consumers of organic matter within high-temperature ecosystems. Their distribution and possible modes of dissemination are at present unknown. Here, we report for the first time on a community of hyperthermophilic Archaebacteria within the active zone of an erupting submarine volcano7, and on its spread through the ensuing cooled-down open-ocean plume. Most of the organisms are close relatives of species previously known only from a submarine solfataric field in Italy, whereas others are new. By their conversion of volcanic gases and sulphur at high temperatures, Archaebacterial communities living in seamounts may be important participants in marine ecological, geochemical and volcanic processes.
Aharon Oren - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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the use of protein synthesis inhibitors in the estimation of the contribution of halophilic Archaebacteria to bacterial activity in hypersaline environments
Fems Microbiology Letters, 1990Co-Authors: Aharon OrenAbstract:Antibiotics affecting protein synthesis were used to differentiate between the activity of different groups of organisms (halophilic Archaebacteria, eubacteria and eukaryotes) in water samples from hypersaline ecosystems. Anisomycin (inhibiting both Archaebacterial halophiles and eukaryotes) can be used to quantitate the contribution of the Archaebacterial halophiles to amino acid incorporation by the microbial community, when cycloheximide (inhibiting eukaryotic protein synthesis, but not affecting halobacteria) is used as a control. Both in saltern ponds at salinities above 300 g/1 and in Dead Sea surface water more than 95% of the amino acid incorporation activity was abolished by anisomycin, but not by cycloheximide. Inhibition by anisomycin was well correlated with inhibition by low concentrations of bile salts, which specifically affect bacteria of the Halobacterium group. Chloramphenicol (an inhibitor of eubacterial protein synthesis) quantitatively inhibited amino acid incorporation in saltern brines of relatively low salinity, but also caused significant (28–42%) inhibition at high salinities. Erythromycin was also found valuable in the estimation of activities of the different bacterial groups.
