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130307110644.htm
Light Shed On Ancient Origin of Life
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Archaea were first found in extreme environments, such as volcanic hot springs
Pictured here is Grand Prismatic Spring of Yellowstone National Park. (Credit:
By Jim Peaco, National Park Service [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons)
Mar. 6, 2013 University of Georgia researchers discovered important genetic
clues about the history of microorganisms called archaea and the origins of
life itself in the first ever study of its kind. Results of their study shed
light on one of Earth's oldest life forms.
"Archaea are an ancient form of microorganisms, so everything we can learn
about them could help us to answer questions about the origin of life," said
William Whitman, a microbiology professor in the Franklin College of Arts and
Sciences and co-author on the paper.
Felipe Sarmiento, lead author and doctoral student in the microbiology
department, surveyed 1,779 genes found in the genome of Methanococcus
maripaludis, aquatic archaea commonly found in sea marshes, to determine if
they were essential or not and learn more about their functions. He found that
roughly 30 percent, or 526 genes, were essential. We now know which genes are
driving the most important functions of the cell. The results of the study were
published March 4 in the PNAS Early Edition and were performed with Jan Mrázek,
an associate professor in the department of microbiology and the UGA Institute
of Bioinformatics.
Although archaea are relatively simple organisms, the genetic systems they use
to build cellular life are similar to those of more complicated eukaryotic
cells found in complex organisms including animals and plants. For this reason,
many scientists believe that eukaryotes evolved from ancient archaea.
These genetic systems are what allow information coded on DNA to build life.
"DNA by itself is a rock," Whitman said. "You need all these other systems to
make the DNA become a living cell."
Because DNA is so fundamental to the modern cell, DNA synthesis has long been
thought to be one of the most conserved processes in living organisms.
"It was a surprise when this study found that the system for making DNA was
unique to the archaea," Whitman said. "Learning that it can change in the
archaea suggest that ability to make DNA formed late in the evolution of life.
Possibly, there may be unrecognized differences in DNA biosynthesis the
eukaryotes or bacteria as well."
Other essential genes in these archaea are necessary for methane production.
Methanogensis, or the process of making methane gas, is how these
microorganisms make energy for life.
"Humans burn glucose and reduce oxygen to water, these guys burn hydrogen gas
and reduce CO2 to methane," Whitman explained.
Methanogenesis requires six vitamins not commonly found in other organisms.
Understanding how these vitamins are made and how they are involved in the
process of changing carbon dioxide to methane sheds light on developing new and
better processes for methane production for fuel.
"This was a general investigation, but there are many questions it can answer,
like possibly making methane better or more efficiently," Whitman said.
The study yielded many other important results.
"We found 121 proteins that are essential for this organism that we know
nothing about," Sarmiento said. "This finding asks questions about their
functions and the specific roles that they are playing."
"We are starting to get some insights about how this organism was actually
formed," Sarmiento said. "There is a lot of information and it is interesting
because it gives insights into a complete domain of life."
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Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of
Georgia. The original article was written by April Reese Sorrow.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further
information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
F. Sarmiento, J. Mrazek, W. B. Whitman. Genome-scale analysis of gene
function in the hydrogenotrophic methanogenic archaeon Methanococcus
maripaludis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013; DOI:
10.1073/pnas.1220225110
Need to cite this story in your essay, paper, or report? Use one of the
following formats:
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University of Georgia (2013, March 6). Light shed on ancient origin of life.
ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 7, 2013, from http://www.sciencedaily.com
/releases/2013/03/130307110644.htm
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of
ScienceDaily or its staff.
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