title: Analysis of the complete genome sequence of the archaeon Pyrococcus chitonophagus DSM 10152 (formerly Thermococcus chitonophagus).
abstract: Here we analyze the first complete genome sequence of Pyrococcus chitonophagus. The archaeon was previously suggested to belong to the Thermococcus rather than the Pyrococcus genus. Whole genome phylogeny as well as whole proteome comparisons using all available complete genomes in Thermococcales clearly showed that the species belongs to the Pyrococcus genus. P. chitonophagus was originally isolated from a hydrothermal vent site and it has been described to effectively degrade chitin debris, and therefore is considered to play a major role in the sea water ecology and metabolic activity of microbial consortia within hot sea water ecosystems. Indeed, an obvious feature of the P. chitonophagus genome is that it carries proteins showing complementary activities for chitin degradation, i.e. endo- and exo-chitinase, diacetylchitobiose deacetylase and exo-β-D glucosaminidase activities. This finding supports the hypothesis that compared to other Thermococcales species P. chitonophagus is adapted to chitin degradation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Papadimitriou
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Panagiotis K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Baharidis
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 15701, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Anastasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Georgoulis
authors.affiliation: Research Unit for Environmental Genomics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH), Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany.|Research Unit for Scientific Computing, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH), Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Engel
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 15701, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Louka
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 15701, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Georgia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Karamolegkou
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 15701, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Aggeliki
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tsoka
authors.affiliation: Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany.
authors.forename: Jochen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Blom
authors.affiliation: Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019, UMR 8204, CIIL, Centre d'Infection et d'Immunité de Lille, Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, 59000, Lille, France.
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pot
authors.affiliation: Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14, Poznan, 61-704, Poland.
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Malecki
authors.affiliation: Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14, Poznan, 61-704, Poland.
authors.forename: Wojciech
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rypniewski
authors.affiliation: Lehrstuhl für Mikrobiologie und Archäenzentrum Universität Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huber
authors.affiliation: Research Unit for Environmental Genomics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH), Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schloter
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 15701, Athens, Greece. cvorgias@biol.uoa.gr.
authors.forename: Constantinos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vorgias
mesh_terms: D002686:Chitin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020745:Genome, Archaeal; D010802:Phylogeny; D019711:Pyrococcus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D019712:Thermococcus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D002686:Chitin
keywords: Chitinolytic activity; Genome analysis; Hyperthermophilic archeon; Pyrococcus chitonophagus