Lokiarchaeota
| Lokiarchaeota | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Archaea |
| Kingdom: | "Proteoarchaeota" |
| Phylum: |
"Lokiarchaeota" Spang et al. 2015 |
| Genus | |
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Lokiarchaeota is a proposed phylum of the Archaea. The phylum includes all members of the group previously named Deep Sea Archaeal Group (DSAG), also known as Marine Benthic Group B (MBG-B). A phylogenetic analysis disclosed a monophyletic grouping of the Lokiarchaeota with the eukaryotes. The analysis revealed several genes with cell membrane-related functions. The presence of such genes support the hypothesis of an archaeal host for the emergence of the eukaryotes; the eocyte-like scenarios.
Lokiarchaeota was introduced in 2015 after the identification of a candidate genome in a metagenomic analysis of a mid-oceanic sediment sample. This analysis suggests the existence of a genus of unicellular life dubbed Lokiarchaeum. The sample was taken near a hydrothermal vent at a vent field known as Loki's Castle located at the bend between Mohns/ Knipovitch ridge in the Arctic Ocean.
Sediments from a gravity core taken in 2010 in the rift valley on the Knipovich ridge in the Arctic Ocean, near the so-called Loki's Castle hydrothermal vent site, were analysed. Specific sediment horizons, previously shown to contain high abundances of novel archaeal lineages were subjected to metagenomic analysis. Due to the low density of cells in the sediment, the resulting genetic sequence does not come from an isolated cell, as would be the case in conventional analysis, but is rather a combination of genetic fragments. The result was a 92% complete, 1.4 fold-redundant composite genome named Lokiarchaeum.
The metagenomic analysis determined the presence of an organism's genome in the sample. However, the organism itself has not been cultured.
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