Pathways of Iron and Sulfur Acquisition, Cofactor Assembly, Destination, and Storage in Diverse Archaeal Methanogens and Alkanotrophs

Abstract

Archaeal methanogens, methanotrophs, and alkanotrophs, argued to be among the most ancient forms of life, have a high demand for iron (Fe) and sulfur (S) for cofactor biosynthesis, among other uses. Here, using comparative bioinformatic approaches applied to 326 genomes, we show that major differences in Fe/S acquisition, trafficking, deployment, and storage exist in this group.