초고온성 고세균 써모코커스 온누리누스 엔에이원의 게놈으로부터 신규 효소의 개발

Abstract

We isolated a new hyperthermophilic archaea from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent area in the PACMANUS field, and identified as a novel strain, Thermococcus onnurineus NA1 by polyphasic classification approach. Thermococcus is ubiquitous in natural high-temperature environments, and may play a major role in the biogeochemical activity of microbial consortia within hot-water ecosystems. To obtain insight into this important genus, we have determined and annotated the complete 1,847,607-base genome of Thermococcus onnurineus NA1, followed by a comparison with the complete genomes of archaeas, especially with those of thermococcales. A total of 1978 coding DNA sequences (CDSs) have been identified, among which (1,521 CDSs) had COG hits. Two thirds of the ORFs (1331 CDSs) were annotatable, whereas the functions of 647 CDSs could not be predicted from the primary structures. The genomic analysis using various bioinformatic tools showed that the strain could possess various novel enzymes of considerable biotechnological interest such as starch-hydrolyzing enzymes, proteases, DNA modifying enzymes, and so on. By combining conventional genetic engineering and genomic research techniques, enzymes were overepressed in E. coli and are being developed for biotechnological purposes.