From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Content deleted Content added
|
 |
|||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
|
{{Short description|Genus of archaeon}} |
{{Short description|Genus of archaeon}} |
||
|
{{DISPLAYTITLE:”Candidatus” Sukunaarchaeum}} |
{{DISPLAYTITLE:”Candidatus” Sukunaarchaeum}} |
||
|
{{Automatic taxobox |
{{Automatic taxobox |
||
Latest revision as of 14:41, 24 September 2025
Genus of archaeon
“Candidatus Sukunaarchaeum mirabile” (provisional name) is a species of archaea of which only the DNA is known, but which already presents several particularities: it is a holoparasite of the dinoflagellate Citharistes regius (it is the first known parasitic archaea) and its DNA, the smallest known for an archaea, codes for only proteins necessary for reproduction.[2]
Discovery and naming
[edit]
The proposed name for the genus, “Ca. Sukunaarchaeum”, is a reference to Sukunabikona (“renowned little lord”), a small Shinto deity associated with hot springs. The specific epithet, mirabile, means “astonishing, admirable, marvelous.”
The DNA of “Ca. Sukunaarchaeum mirabile” occurs as a circular molecule comprising 238 kilobase pairs (kbp), less than half the size of the smallest previously known archaeal DNA. This genome lacks almost all recognizable metabolic pathways, and primarily encodes the mechanisms of DNA replication, transcription, and translation.[3] This suggests an unprecedented level of metabolic dependence on the host, a condition that challenges functional distinctions between minimal cellular life and viruses.[4]
- ^ a b Harada, Ryo; Nishimura, Yuki; Nomura, Mami; Yabuki, Akinori; Shiba, Kogiku; Inaba, Kazuo; Inagaki, Yuji; Nakayama, Takuro (2025-05-02), A cellular entity retaining only its replicative core: Hidden archaeal lineage with an ultra-reduced genome, bioRxiv 10.1101/2025.05.02.651781, doi:10.1101/2025.05.02.651781, retrieved 2025-06-26
- ^ Wilcox, Christie (2025-06-13). Microbe with bizarrely tiny genome may be evolving into a virus (Report). doi:10.1126/science.z7ekqxv.
- ^ Muñoz Velasco, Israel (2025-06-17). “El hallazgo de Candidatus Sukunaarchaeum mirabile, una Archaea con el genoma más pequeño hasta ahora descubierto – Laboratorio de Genómica Ambiental, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México” [The finding of Candidatus Sukunaarchaeum mirabile, an Archaea with the smallest genome hitherto discovered.] (in Spanish). National Autonomous University of Mexico. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
- ^ Cowing, Keith (2025-05-07). “Candidatus Sukunaarchaeum Mirabile Is A Novel Archaeon With An Unprecedentedly Small Genome”. Astrobiology. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
