The parasitic lifestyle of an archaeal symbiont

DPANN archaea are a diverse group of microorganisms characterised by small cells and reduced genomes. To date, all cultivated DPANN archaea are ectosymbionts that require direct cell contact with an archaeal host species for growth and survival. However, these interactions and their impact on the ho...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature communications 2024-07, Vol.15 (1), p.6449-13, Article 6449
Main Authors: Hamm, Joshua N., Liao, Yan, von Kügelgen, Andriko, Dombrowski, Nina, Landers, Evan, Brownlee, Christopher, Johansson, Emma M. V., Whan, Renee M., Baker, Matthew A. B., Baum, Buzz, Bharat, Tanmay A. M., Duggin, Iain G., Spang, Anja, Cavicchioli, Ricardo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
14/19
14/28
14/32
14/34
631/326/26/2523
631/326/26/2527
631/326/88
Archaea
Archaea - genetics
Archaea - physiology
Candidatus Nanohaloarchaeum antarcticus
Genome, Archaeal
Halorubrum - genetics
Halorubrum - physiology
Halorubrum lacusprofundi
Host-parasite interactions
Humanities and Social Sciences
Lifestyles
Lysis
Microorganisms
multidisciplinary
Nanoarchaeota - genetics
Nanoarchaeota - physiology
Phylogeny
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Symbiosis
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:DPANN archaea are a diverse group of microorganisms characterised by small cells and reduced genomes. To date, all cultivated DPANN archaea are ectosymbionts that require direct cell contact with an archaeal host species for growth and survival. However, these interactions and their impact on the host species are poorly understood. Here, we show that a DPANN archaeon ( Candidatus Nanohaloarchaeum antarcticus) engages in parasitic interactions with its host ( Halorubrum lacusprofundi ) that result in host cell lysis. During these interactions, the nanohaloarchaeon appears to enter, or be engulfed by, the host cell. Our results provide experimental evidence for a predatory-like lifestyle of an archaeon, suggesting that at least some DPANN archaea may have roles in controlling host populations and their ecology. DPANN archaea are a group of microorganisms that require direct cell contact with other archaeal host species for growth. Here, Hamm et al. show that a DPANN archaeon engages in parasitic interactions with its host leading to host cell lysis, thus providing experimental evidence of a predatory-like lifestyle for an archaeon.
ISSN:2041-1723
2041-1723
DOI:10.1038/s41467-024-49962-y