Methanosarcinaceae

Methanosarcinaceae
Phase-contrast photo of Methanosarcina barkeri, type strain MST
Scientific classification
Domain:	Archaea
Kingdom:	Methanobacteriati
Phylum:	Methanobacteriota
Class:	"Methanomicrobia"
Order:	Methanosarcinales
Family:	Methanosarcinaceae Balch and Wolfe 1981 [1]
Genera
See text

Methanosarcinaceae is a family of archaeans in the order Methanosarcinales. ^[2]

Phylogeny

The currently accepted taxonomy is based on the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN) ^[1] and National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). ^[2]

16S rRNA based LTP_10_2024 [3] [4] [5]

53 marker proteins based GTDB 10-RS226 [6] [7] [8]

Methanosarcinaceae Methanohalobium Methanosalsum Methanococcoides Methanohalophilus Methanomethylovorans Methanolobus Methanimicrococcus Methanosarcina

Methanosarcinaceae " Methanofrustulum " Protasov & Brune 2023 Methanolapillus Protasov & Brune 2025 Methanimicrococcus Sprenger et al. 2000 Methanosarcina Kluyver and van Niel 1936 Methanohalobium Zhilina & Zavarzin 1988 Methanosalsum Boone and Baker 2002 Methanococcoides Sowers and Ferry 1985 Methanohalophilus Paterek and Smith 1988 Methanomethylovorans Lomans et al. 2004 Methanolobus König and Stetter 1983

Unassigned gerea:

• Halomethanococcus Yu & Kawamura 1988
• "Ca. Methanovorans" Chadwick et al. 2022

Biochemistry

A notable trait of Methanosarcinaceae is that they are methanogens that incorporate the unusual amino acid pyrrolysine into their enzymes. ^[9] The enzyme monomethylamine methyltransferase catalyzes the reaction of monomethylamine to methane. This enzyme includes pyrrolysine. The unusual amino acid is inserted using a unique tRNA, the anticodon of which is UAG. In most organisms, and in most Methanosarcinaceae proteins, UAG is a stop codon. However in this enzyme, and anywhere else pyrrolysine is incorporated, likely through contextual markers on the mRNA, the pyrrolysine-loaded tRNA is inserted instead of the release factor. They also have a unique aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase to specifically load this tRNA with pyrrolysine. This unique adaptation is still the subject of significant study.

See also

• List of Archaea genera

References

1. A.C. Parte; et al. "Methanosarcinaceae". List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN). Retrieved 2025-02-28.
2. C.L. Schoch; et al. "Methanosarcinaceae". National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) taxonomy database. Retrieved 2025-02-28.
3. "The LTP" . Retrieved 10 December 2024.
4. "LTP_all tree in newick format" . Retrieved 10 December 2024.
5. "LTP_10_2024 Release Notes" (PDF). Retrieved 10 December 2024.
6. "GTDB release 10-RS226". Genome Taxonomy Database . Retrieved 1 May 2025.
7. "ar53_r226.sp_label". Genome Taxonomy Database . Retrieved 1 May 2025.
8. "Taxon History". Genome Taxonomy Database . Retrieved 1 May 2025.
9. Lehninger A, Nelson D, Cox M. Lehninger principles of biochemistry. 6th ed. New York: W.H. Freeman; 2013 p. 1124-1126.

Further reading

Scientific journals

• Cavalier-Smith, T (2002). "The neomuran origin of archaebacteria, the negibacterial root of the universal tree and bacterial megaclassification". Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 52 (Pt 1): 7–76. doi: 10.1099/00207713-52-1-7 . PMID   11837318.
• Springer E; Sachs MS; Woese CR; Boone DR (1995). "Partial gene sequences for the A subunit of methyl-coenzyme M reductase (mcrI) as a phylogenetic tool for the family Methanosarcinaceae". Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 45 (3): 554–559. doi: 10.1099/00207713-45-3-554 . PMID   8590683.
• Cavalier-Smith, T (1986). "The kingdoms of organisms". Nature. 324 (6096): 416–417. Bibcode:1986Natur.324..416C. doi:10.1038/324416a0. PMID   2431320. S2CID   5242667.
• Sowers KR; Johnson JL; Ferry JG (1984). "Phylogenic relationships among the methylotrophic methane-producing bacteria and emendation of the family Methanosarcinaceae". Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 34 (4): 444–450. doi: 10.1099/00207713-34-4-444 .
• Balch WE; Fox GE; Magrum LJ; Woses CR; et al. (1979). "Methanogens: reevaluation of a unique biological group". Microbiol. Rev. 43 (2): 260–296. doi:10.1128/MMBR.43.2.260-296.1979. PMC   281474 . PMID   390357.

Scientific books

• Boone DR; Whitman WB; Koga Y (2001). "Order III. Methanosarcinales ord. nov.". In DR Boone; RW Castenholz (eds.). Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology Volume 1: The Archaea and the deeply branching and phototrophic Bacteria (2nd ed.). New York: Springer Verlag. pp.  169. ISBN   978-0-387-98771-2.
• Grant WD; Kamekura M; McGenity TJ; Ventosa A (2001). "Class III. Halobacteria class. nov.". In DR Boone; RW Castenholz (eds.). Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology Volume 1: The Archaea and the deeply branching and phototrophic Bacteria (2nd ed.). New York: Springer Verlag. pp.  169. ISBN   978-0-387-98771-2.