Methanosarcina
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2008-04-21T04:16:00Z
Bob the Wikipedian
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{{Taxobox
| color = darkgray
| name = ''Methanosarcina''
|image=Metba.gif
|image_caption=''[[Methanosarcina barkeri fusaro]]''
| regnum = [[Archaea]]
| phylum = [[Euryarchaeota]]
| classis = [[Methanomicrobia]]
| ordo = [[Methanosarcinales]]
| familia = [[Methanosarcinaceae]]
| genus = ''Methanosarcina''
| subdivision_ranks = [[species (biology)|Species]]
| subdivision =
''[[M. acetivorans]]''<br />
''[[M. baltica]]''<br />
''[[M. barkeri]]''<br />
''[[M. mazei]]''
}}
'''Methanosarcina''' are the only known [[Anaerobic organism|anaerobic]] [[methanogens]] to produce methane using all three known metabolic pathways for [[methanogenesis]].<ref>http://www.genome.org/cgi/reprint/12/4/532.pdf</ref> Most [[methanogens]] make [[methane]] from [[carbon dioxide]] and [[hydrogen]] gas. Some others utlize [[acetate]] in the [[acetoclastic]] pathway. In addition to these two pathways, species of ''Methanosarcina'' can also metabolize methylated one-carbon compounds through [[methylotroph]]ic [[methanogenesis]]. Such one-carbon compounds include [[methylamines]], [[methanol]], and [[methyl thiols]]. Thus species of ''Methanosarcina'' are the most diverse methanogens in terms of [[physiology]]. They are found in diverse environments, including trash dumps, sewage heaps, deep see vents, and even in the gut of many different [[ungulates]], including cows, sheep, goats, and deer. ''Methanosarcina'' have even been found in the human digestive tract. ''Methanosarcina'' are also unique in that they have been found to grow in colonies and even show primitive cellular differentiation. Both ''[[M. acetivorans]]'' and ''[[M. mazei]]'' have been found to have exceptionally large [[genome]]s. As of August [[2006]], ''M. acetivorans'' possessed the largest sequenced [[archaeal]] genome at 5,751,492 bp. Slightly smaller is the genome of ''M. mazei'', with 4,096,345 bp.
== References ==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
* [http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1961&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0 Putting Life's Puzzle Together from Astrobiology Magazine (May 17, 2006)]
* [http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Methanosarcina Methanosarcina from The Microbial Biorealm at Kenyon College]
*[http://img.jgi.doe.gov/cgi-bin/pub/main.cgi?section=TaxonList&page=lineageMicrobes&genus=Methanosarcina Comparative Analysis of Methanosarcina Genomes] (at [[United_States_Department_of_Energy|DOE's]] [[Integrated_Microbial_Genomes_System|IMG system]])
*[http://www.genomesonline.org/search.cgi?colcol=all&goldstamp=ALL&gen_type=ALL&org_name1=genus&gensp=Methanosarcina&org_domain=ALL&org_status=ALL&size2=ALL&org_size=Kb&gen_gc=ALL&phylogeny2=ALL&gen_institution=ALL&gen_funding=ALL&gen_data=ALL&cont=ALL&gen_country=ALL&gen_pheno=ALL&gen_eco=ALL&gen_disease=ALL&gen_relevance=ALL&gen_avail=ALL&selection=submit+search Methanosarcina Genome Projects] (from [http://www.genomesonline.org Genomes OnLine Database])
{{archaea-stub}}
[[Category:Archaea genera]]
[[es:Methanosarcina]]
[[ja:メタノサルシナ属]]