Archaeal SegAB forms a bipolar structure that promotes chromosome segregation in spherical cells.

Archaeal operons are thought to promote chromosome segregation, but their mechanism remains unknown. We employ comparative genomics, structural biology, genetic knockouts, and quantitative cell biology to investigate how SegA and SegB proteins work together to segregate chromosomes in the thermophilic archaeon . , SegB binds a centromeric DNA sequence adjacent to the operon, and forms a distinct focus on each segregating chromosome.

An unusual glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase in Sulfolobus acidocaldarius elucidates the diversity of glycerol metabolism across Archaea.

Glycerol is highly abundant in natural ecosystems and serves as both an important carbon source for microorganisms as well as a promising feedstock for industrial applications. However, the pathways involved in glycerol degradation in Archaea remain unclear. Here, we show that the thermoacidophilic Crenarchaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius can grow with glycerol as its sole carbon source and characterize the mechanisms involved in glycerol utilization.

New components of the community-based DNA-repair mechanism in Sulfolobales.

After exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light, cells aggregate in a species-specific manner to exchange DNA and repair double-strand breaks via homologous recombination. The formation of cell-cell interactions is mediated by Ups pili. DNA exchange subsequently occurs through the Crenarchaeal system for exchange of DNA (Ced), which imports DNA.

Application of the endogenous CRISPR-Cas type I-D system for genetic engineering in the thermoacidophilic archaeon .

CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)-Cas systems are widely distributed among bacteria and archaea. In this study, we demonstrate the successful utilization of the type I-D CRISPR-Cas system for genetic engineering in the thermoacidophilic archaeon . Given its extreme growth conditions characterized by a temperature of 75°C and pH 3, an uracil auxotrophic selection system was previously established, providing a basis for our investigations.

Identification of XylR, the Activator of Arabinose/Xylose Inducible Regulon in and Its Application for Homologous Protein Expression.

The thermophilic archaeon can use different carbon sources for growth, including the pentoses D-xylose and L-arabinose. In this study, we identified the activator XylR () responsible for the transcriptional regulation of the pentose transporter and pentose metabolizing genes in . A deletion mutant showed growth retardation on D-xylose/L-arabinose containing media and the lack of transcription of the respective ABC transporter.

Alternative dimerization interfaces in the glucocorticoid receptor-α ligand binding domain.

Background: Nuclear hormone receptors (NRs) constitute a large family of multi-domain ligand-activated transcription factors. Dimerization is essential for their regulation, and both DNA binding domain (DBD) and ligand binding domain (LBD) are implicated in dimerization. Intriguingly, the glucocorticoid receptor-α (GRα) presents a DBD dimeric architecture similar to that of the homologous estrogen receptor-α (ERα), but an atypical dimeric architecture for the LBD.