Phenotype-driven assessment of the ancestral trajectory of sulfur biooxidation in the thermoacidophilic archaea Sulfolobaceae.

ABSTRACT: Certain members of the family Sulfolobaceae represent the only archaea known to oxidize elemental sulfur, and their evolutionary history provides a framework to understand the development of chemolithotrophic growth by sulfur oxidation. Here, we evaluate the sulfur oxidation phenotype of Sulfolobaceae species and leverage comparative genomic and transcriptomic analysis to identify the key genes linked to sulfur oxidation. Metabolic engineering of the obligate heterotroph Sulfolobus acidocaldarius revealed that the known cytoplasmic components of sulfur oxidation alone are not sufficient to drive prolific sulfur oxidation. Imaging analysis showed that Sulfolobaceae species maintain proximity to the sulfur surface but do not necessarily contact the substrate directly. This indicates t

SUBMITTER: Willard DJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11323534 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature