Occurrence and expression of novel methyl-coenzyme M reductase gene (mcrA) variants in hot spring sediments.

ABSTRACT: Recent discoveries have shown that the marker gene for anaerobic methane cycling (mcrA) is more widespread in the Archaea than previously thought. However, it remains unclear whether novel mcrA genes associated with the Bathyarchaeota and Verstraetearchaeota are distributed across diverse environments. We examined two geochemically divergent but putatively methanogenic regions of Yellowstone National Park to investigate whether deeply-rooted archaea possess and express novel mcrA genes in situ. Small-subunit (SSU) rRNA gene analyses indicated that Bathyarchaeota were predominant in seven of ten sediment layers, while the Verstraetearchaeota and Euryarchaeota occurred in lower relative abundance. Targeted amplification of novel mcrA genes suggested that diverse taxa contribute to alkane cyc

SUBMITTER: McKay LJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5543129 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature