Isolation of a Methanobrevibacter gottschalkii strain from an Eastern Gray Kangaroo

Methanogenic archaea are a group of microorganisms found in the gastrointestinal tract of various herbivores and humans; however, the quantity (intensity) of methane emissions during feed digestion varies. Macropodids, such as the Eastern Gray Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus), are considered to be low...

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Main Authors: James G. Volmer, Paul N. Evans, Rochelle M. Soo, Philip Hugenholtz, Gene W. Tyson, Mark Morrison
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2024-12-01
Series:Frontiers in Microbiology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1483533/full
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author James G. Volmer
James G. Volmer
Paul N. Evans
Rochelle M. Soo
Philip Hugenholtz
Gene W. Tyson
Mark Morrison
author_facet James G. Volmer
James G. Volmer
Paul N. Evans
Rochelle M. Soo
Philip Hugenholtz
Gene W. Tyson
Mark Morrison
author_sort James G. Volmer
collection DOAJ
description Methanogenic archaea are a group of microorganisms found in the gastrointestinal tract of various herbivores and humans; however, the quantity (intensity) of methane emissions during feed digestion varies. Macropodids, such as the Eastern Gray Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus), are considered to be low methane-emitting animals, but their gut methanogenic archaea remain poorly characterized. Characterizing methanogens from animals with low methane emissions offers the potential to develop strategies and interventions that reduce methane emissions from livestock. In this study, we describe a novel strain of Methanobrevibacter gottschalkii (EGK), the first Methanobrevibacter isolate from a marsupial host. Comparative analyses with other M. gottschalkii genomes revealed a high degree of gene conservation, along with strain-specific differences in genes related to membrane transport, xenobiotic metabolism, nucleotide metabolism, and the metabolism of cofactors and vitamins. Notably, the M. gottschalkii EGK genome contains multiple copies of large proviral elements, likely acquired through integration events in this strain. M. gottschalkii EGK is the first isolated representative of Methanobrevibacter from a low methane-emitting animal, providing a valuable reference genome to identify metabolic targets for methane mitigation.
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spelling doaj-art-9fe1a561bab846d3868e8211fe7cdb3a2025-08-20T01:58:42ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2024-12-011510.3389/fmicb.2024.14835331483533Isolation of a Methanobrevibacter gottschalkii strain from an Eastern Gray KangarooJames G. Volmer0James G. Volmer1Paul N. Evans2Rochelle M. Soo3Philip Hugenholtz4Gene W. Tyson5Mark Morrison6Centre for Microbiome Research, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, AustraliaFrazer Institute, Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, AustraliaSchool of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, AustraliaSchool of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, AustraliaSchool of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, AustraliaCentre for Microbiome Research, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, AustraliaFrazer Institute, Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, AustraliaMethanogenic archaea are a group of microorganisms found in the gastrointestinal tract of various herbivores and humans; however, the quantity (intensity) of methane emissions during feed digestion varies. Macropodids, such as the Eastern Gray Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus), are considered to be low methane-emitting animals, but their gut methanogenic archaea remain poorly characterized. Characterizing methanogens from animals with low methane emissions offers the potential to develop strategies and interventions that reduce methane emissions from livestock. In this study, we describe a novel strain of Methanobrevibacter gottschalkii (EGK), the first Methanobrevibacter isolate from a marsupial host. Comparative analyses with other M. gottschalkii genomes revealed a high degree of gene conservation, along with strain-specific differences in genes related to membrane transport, xenobiotic metabolism, nucleotide metabolism, and the metabolism of cofactors and vitamins. Notably, the M. gottschalkii EGK genome contains multiple copies of large proviral elements, likely acquired through integration events in this strain. M. gottschalkii EGK is the first isolated representative of Methanobrevibacter from a low methane-emitting animal, providing a valuable reference genome to identify metabolic targets for methane mitigation.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1483533/fullmethanogenarchaeamarsupialMethanobrevibactermethane
spellingShingle James G. Volmer
James G. Volmer
Paul N. Evans
Rochelle M. Soo
Philip Hugenholtz
Gene W. Tyson
Mark Morrison
Isolation of a Methanobrevibacter gottschalkii strain from an Eastern Gray Kangaroo
Frontiers in Microbiology
methanogen
archaea
marsupial
Methanobrevibacter
methane
title Isolation of a Methanobrevibacter gottschalkii strain from an Eastern Gray Kangaroo
title_full Isolation of a Methanobrevibacter gottschalkii strain from an Eastern Gray Kangaroo
title_fullStr Isolation of a Methanobrevibacter gottschalkii strain from an Eastern Gray Kangaroo
title_full_unstemmed Isolation of a Methanobrevibacter gottschalkii strain from an Eastern Gray Kangaroo
title_short Isolation of a Methanobrevibacter gottschalkii strain from an Eastern Gray Kangaroo
title_sort isolation of a methanobrevibacter gottschalkii strain from an eastern gray kangaroo
topic methanogen
archaea
marsupial
Methanobrevibacter
methane
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1483533/full
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