Deciphering Symbiotic Interactions of “Candidatus Aenigmarchaeota” with Inferred Horizontal Gene Transfers and Co-occurrence Networks

Authors

Yu-Xian Li, Sun Yat-Sen University
Yang-Zhi Rao, Sun Yat-Sen University
Yan-Ling Qi, Sun Yat-Sen University
Yan-Ni Qu, Sun Yat-Sen University
Ya-Ting Chen, Sun Yat-Sen University
Jian-Yu Jiao, Sun Yat-Sen University
Wen-Sheng Shu, South China Normal University
Hongchen Jiang, China University of Geosciences
Brian P. Hedlund, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow
Zheng-Shuang Hua, University of Science and Technology of China
Wen-Jun Li, Sun Yat-Sen University

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-27-2021

Publication Title

mSystems

Publisher

American Society for Microbiology

Volume

6

Issue

4

First page number:

1

Last page number:

19

Abstract

"Candidatus Aenigmarchaeota"("Ca. Aenigmarchaeota") represents one of the earliest proposed evolutionary branches within the Diapherotrites, Parvarchaeota, Aenigmarchaeota, Nanoarchaeota, and Nanohaloarchaeota (DPANN) superphylum. However, their ecological roles and potential host-symbiont interactions are still poorly understood. Here, eight metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) were reconstructed from hot spring ecosystems, and further in-depth comparative and evolutionary genomic analyses were conducted on these MAGs and other genomes downloaded from public databases. Although with limited metabolic capacities, we reported that "Ca. Aenigmarchaeota"in thermal environments harbor more genes related to carbohydrate metabolism than "Ca. Aenigmarchaeota"in nonthermal environments. Evolutionary analyses suggested that members from the Thaumarchaeota, Aigarchaeota, Crenarchaeota, and Korarchaeota (TACK) superphylum and Euryarchaeota contribute substantially to the niche expansion of "Ca. Aenigmarchaeota"via horizontal gene transfer (HGT), especially genes related to virus defense and stress responses. Based on co-occurrence network results and recent genetic exchanges among community members, we conjectured that "Ca. Aenigmarchaeota"may be symbionts associated with one MAG affiliated with the genus Pyrobaculum, though host specificity might be wide and variable across different "Ca. Aenigmarchaeota"organisms. This study provides significant insight into possible DPANN-host interactions and ecological roles of "Ca. Aenigmarchaeota."

Keywords

Candidatus Aenigmarchaeota; Coevolution network; Cooccurrence network; DPANN; Horizontal gene transfer; Symbiont

Disciplines

Genetics and Genomics | Life Sciences

File Format

pdf

File Size

2981 KB

Language

English

Rights

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Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Repository Citation

Li, Y., Rao, Y., Qi, Y., Qu, Y., Chen, Y., Jiao, J., Shu, W., Jiang, H., Hedlund, B., Hua, Z., Li, W. (2021). Deciphering Symbiotic Interactions of “Candidatus Aenigmarchaeota” with Inferred Horizontal Gene Transfers and Co-occurrence Networks. mSystems, 6(4), 1-19. American Society for Microbiology.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/mSystems.00606-21