 |
| Electron
micrograph and genetic map of
Methanococcus jannaschii |
Archaea look like bacteria, but biochemically
and genetically, they are quite different.
For example, archaea can thrive in
extreme conditions that would kill
other life forms. In the late 1970s,
these unusual organisms were first
recognized as distinct from eukaryotes
(plants, animals, and other organisms
whose cells have a nucleus) and prokaryotes
(or bacteria, whose cells contain
no distinct nucleus). This finding
was verified in 1996, when a study
funded by the Office of Science's
Microbial Genome Initiative mapped
the entire genome sequence of Methanococcus
jannaschii and thereby confirmed
its place in the "third branch of
life," separate from prokaryotes and
eukaryotes and ancestral to both.
About two-thirds of the genes of M.
jannaschii, a microbe from boiling
vents deep in the Pacific Ocean, looked
like nothing seen before in biology.
The genes involved in energy production,
cell division, and metabolism were
similar to those in bacteria, whereas
those involved in DNA transcription,
translation, and replication were
similar to those found in eukaryotes.
Scientific Impact:
This work confirmed that archaea are
separate and distinct life forms and
provided the information needed to
compare the three domains of life
at the genomic level. M. jannaschii
is also worthy of study in itself;
it produces methane as a by-product
of metabolism, thus offering the possibility
of generating large supplies of a
safe and renewable source of energy.
Social Impact: This
microbe makes hundreds of enzymes
that are stable at high temperatures
and therefore could have practical
uses in medicine, food science, and
other industries. This type of research
helps DOE understand the effects and
by-products of energy production and
identify organisms useful in environmental
cleanup.
Reference: Bult,
C.J., White, O., Olsen, G.J., Zhou,
L., Fleischmann, R.D., Sutton, G.G.,
Blake, J.A., FitzGerald, L.M., Clayton,
R.A., Gocayne, J.D., Kerlavage, A.R.,
Dougherty, B.A.,Tomb, J.F., Adams
MD, Reich CI, Overbeek R, Kirkness
EF, Weinstock KG, Merrick JM, Glodek,
A., Scott, J.L., Geoghagen, N.S.,
Venter, J.C., "Complete genome sequence
of the methanogenic archaeon, Methanococcus
jannaschii," Science 273:1058-73
(1996).
URL:
http://www.tigr.org/tigr-scripts/CMR2/GenomePage3.spl?database=arg
Technical Contact:
Dr. Dan Drell, Life Sciences Division,
Office of Biological and Environmental
Research, 301-903-4742
Press Contact: Jeff
Sherwood, DOE Office of Public Affairs,
202-586-5806
SC-Funding Office:
Office of Biological and Environmental
Research |
