Methane metabolism by some lineages of Archaea contributes to the cycling of carbon on Earth. Here, the authors show high diversity of methyl-coenzyme M reductase (Mcr), a key enzyme associated with archaeal methane/alkane metabolism, in hot spring Archaea, and investigate their ecological roles and evolution.
- Zheng-Shuang Hua
- Yu-Lin Wang
- Wen-Jun Li