Archaeal biology articles from across Nature Portfolio

Multiscale analysis including ChIP-Seq and Hi-C reveals Sul14a, one of the Lrs14 family protein, orchestrates chromatin organization as an essential and cyclically transcribed nucleoid-associated protein (NAP) in archaea of the order Sulfolobales.

Using Bayesian inversion on microbial growth curves, the difference between activation energies of molecular destructive and constructive processes is identified as the main driver of variations in the maximum growth temperature of archaeal cells.

Cannulae are heat-resistant protein nanotubes found on the surface of thermophilic archaea. Here, the authors report the structures of cannulae at the atomic level with insight into their high stability and mechanism of assembly, which has potential impact for biomaterials design.

Lipoproteins are major cell-surface components in archaea, but their functions and the lipidation mechanisms are unclear. Here, Hong et al. identify two proteins required for attachment of proteins to unique archaeal membrane lipids via thioether bonds, and demonstrate their importance in archaeal physiology.

Biochemical research on methane oxidation in anaerobic methanotrophic archaea is hampered by the lack of cultured isolates. Here, Müller et al. present atomic-resolution snapshots of the methane-oxidising enzymes purified from enrichment cultures, providing molecular insights into the process and revealing unusual post-translational modifications.

A study by Medina Ferrer and Nayak identifies an archaeal transcription factor in methanogenic archaea that functions as a one-component system, with a eukaryotic-like DNA-binding motif.

In this Journal Club, Tessa Quax discusses a study that was the first to identify the diversity of archaeal viruses in environmental samples from Icelandic hot springs.

In this Journal Club, Masaru Nobu revisits a paper that introduced the concept of syntrophy.

This study shows that mechanical pressure induces multicellular development in Haloferax volcanii.

This study shows that archaea produce catalytically active ultraminimal as well as hybrid [FeFe] hydrogenases.

This study shows that Haloferax volcanii uses its type IV pili for cell attachment to a surface and mechanical cohesion between cells under flow conditions, thus promoting biofilm development.