An archaeal RNA binding protein, FAU-1, is a novel ribonuclease related to rRNA stability in Pyrococcus and Thermococcus.

Ribosome biogenesis and turnover are processes necessary for cell viability and proliferation, and many kinds of proteins are known to regulate these processes. However, many questions still remain, especially in the Archaea. Generally, several ribonucleases are required to process precursor rRNAs to their mature forms, and to degrade rRNAs for quality control. Here, we found that FAU-1, which is known to be an RNA binding protein, possesses an RNase activity against precursor 5S rRNA derived from P. furiosus and T. kodakarensis in the order Thermococcales in vitro. An in vitro analysis revealed that UA sequences in the upstream of 5S rRNA were preferentially degraded by addition of FAU-1. Moreover, a fau-1 gene deletion mutant of T. kodakarensis showed a delay of exponential phase, reduction of maximum cell number and significant changes in the nucleotide sequence lengths of its 5S, 16S, and 23S rRNAs in early exponential phase. Our results suggest that FAU-1 is a potential RNase involved in rRNA stability through maturation and/or degradation processes.

New oligosaccharyltransferase assay method.

We developed a new in vitro assay for oligosaccharyltransferase (OST), which catalyzes the transfer of preassembled oligosaccharides on lipid carriers onto asparagine residues in polypeptide chains. The asparagine residues reside in the sequon, Asn-X-Thr/Ser, where X can be any amino acid residue except Pro. We demonstrate the potency of our assay using the OST from yeast. In our method, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis is used to separate the glycopeptide products from the peptide substrates. The substrate peptide is fluorescently labeled and the formation of glycopeptides is analyzed by fluorescence gel imaging. Two in vitro OST assay methods are now widely used, but both the methods depend on previous knowledge of the oligosaccharide moiety: One method uses lectin binding as the separation mechanism and the other method uses biosynthetically or chemoenzymatically synthesized lipid-linked oligosaccharides as donors. N-linked protein glycosylation is found in all three domains of life, but little is known about the N-glycosylation in Archaea. Thus, our new assay, which does not require a priori knowledge of the oligosaccharides, will be useful in such cases. Indeed, we have detected the OST activity in the membrane fraction from a hyperthermophilic archaeon, Pyrococcus furiosus.

An integrated analysis of the genome of the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus abyssi.

The hyperthermophilic euryarchaeon Pyrococcus abyssi and the related species Pyrococcus furiosus and Pyrococcus horikoshii, whose genomes have been completely sequenced, are presently used as model organisms in different laboratories to study archaeal DNA replication and gene expression and to develop genetic tools for hyperthermophiles. We have performed an extensive re-annotation of the genome of P. abyssi to obtain an integrated view of its phylogeny, molecular biology and physiology. Many new functions are predicted for both informational and operational proteins. Moreover, several candidate genes have been identified that might encode missing links in key metabolic pathways, some of which have unique biochemical features. The great majority of Pyrococcus proteins are typical archaeal proteins and their phylogenetic pattern agrees with its position near the root of the archaeal tree. However, proteins probably from bacterial origin, including some from mesophilic bacteria, are also present in the P. abyssi genome.

Pyrococcus horikoshii sp. nov., a hyperthermophilic archaeon isolated from a hydrothermal vent at the Okinawa Trough.

A hyperthermophilic, anaerobic archaeon was isolated from hydrothermal fluid samples obtained at the Okinawa Trough vents in the NE Pacific Ocean, at a depth of 1395m. The strain is obligately heterotrophic, and utilizes complex proteinaceous media (peptone, tryptone, or yeast extract), or a 21-amino-acid mixture supplemented with vitamins, as growth substrates. Sulfur greatly enhances growth. The cells are irregular cocci with a tuft of flagella, growing optimally at 98 degrees C (maximum growth temperature 102 degrees C), but capable of prolonged survival at 105 degrees C. Optimum growth was at pH 7 (range 5-8) and NaCl concentration 2.4% (range 1%-5%). Tryptophan was required for growth, in contrast to the closely related strains Pyrococcus furiosus and P. abyssi. Thin sections of the cell, viewed by transmission electron microscopy, revealed a periplasmic space similar in appearance to the envelope of P. furiosus. The predominant cell membrane component was tetraether lipid, with minor amounts of diether lipids. Treatment of the cells by mild osmotic shock released an extract that contained a Zn(2+)-dependent alkaline phosphatase. Phylogenetic analysis of the sequences encoding 16S rRNA and glutamate dehydrogenase places the isolate with certainty within the genus Pyrococcus although there is relatively low DNA-DNA hybridization (< 63%) with described species of this genus. Based on the reported results, we propose a new species, to be named Pyrococcus horikoshii sp.nov.