Abstract
Sequencing of the complete genome of Ignicoccus hospitalis gives insight into its association with another species of Archaea, Nanoarchaeum equitans.
Highlights
The relationship between the hyperthermophiles Ignicoccus hospitalis and Nanoarchaeum equitans is the only known example of a specific association between two species of Archaea
A minimal genome The genome of I. hospitalis consists of a single circular chromosome (Table 1)
At 1,297,538 bp, the genome of I. hospitalis is the smallest among free-living organisms, which do not require a continuous association with another species and can replicate independently (Figure 1)
Summary
The relationship between the hyperthermophiles Ignicoccus hospitalis and Nanoarchaeum equitans is the only known example of a specific association between two species of Archaea. The crenarchaeaote Ignicoccus hospitalis is a specific host for Nanoarchaeum equitans in a relationship that is far unique, involving two archaeal species [1,2,3]. Among Archaea, Ignicoccus cells are surrounded by two membranes separated by a wide periplasmic space within which vesicles and tubular structures emerge from the cytoplasm [9]. Attempts to propagate N. equitans in co-cultures with other archaea, including other species of Ignicoccus, have not been successful, suggesting that the relationship with I. hospitalis is highly specific and involves a recognition mechanism [3]. As its exact nature remains elusive, provisionally describing this relationship as a symbiosis is compatible with representing either a novel type of interspecific association or fitting within recognized categories of microbial interactions [15]
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