Abstract
Lipoic acid is a prosthetic group necessary for the activities of the glycine cleavage system and enzymes such as pyruvate dehydrogenase. Although there are archaea that possess a classical lipoyl synthase (LipA) gene homolog, many archaeal species, including the hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus kodakarensis, do not. Jin et al. (e01359-20) identified two genes whose products in combination displayed lipoyl synthase activity. Disrupting either of these genes resulted in strains that display lipoic acid auxotrophy. Homologs of the two genes are widely distributed among archaea, suggesting that, in addition to LipA, the two proteins represent a new group of lipoyl synthases.
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