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Table 3 Analysis of potentially informative gene structures in korarchaeota and thaumarchaeota.

From: The origin of a derived superkingdom: how a gram-positive bacterium crossed the desert to become an archaeon

Sequence Property

Initially reported to support

In Korarchaeota

In Thaumarchaea

Now Supports

Notes

Split RpoA

Holophyly

X

X

Holophyly or paraphyly (Thaumarchaeota or Korarchaeota)

 

7 AA Insert in EF-1

Paraphyly (Crenarchaea)

2 aa insert shared with thermoplasma

X

Paraphyly, but weakly

Must be reversion in Euryarchaea

6 AA insert in RadA

Paraphyly (Euryarchaea)

?

?

?

There is probably an artifact in the original alignment.

1 AA insert in SecY

Paraphyly (Crenarchaea)

absent

X

Paraphyly (Crenarchaea or Thaumarchaeota)

Single Glycine, but anchors are really nicely conserved

1 AA insert in proAS

Holophyly

X

absent

Probably holophyly, maybe paraphyly (Thaumarchaeota)

BLAST reveals Thaumarchaeota may have HGT from Firmicutes.

7 AA insert in GatD

Holophyly

X

X

Inconclusive

Completely conserved, but its not clear the Eukaryotes inherited this from Archaea

2 AA insert in PBG

Holophyly

Gene is absent

Gene is absent

Inconclusive (bacterial origin)

This protein is present in bacteria, so the Thaumarchaeota and Korarchaeota probably lost it

2 AA insert in ribosomal S12

Holophyly

X

X

Inconclusive

It is conserved across the Eukaryotes and Archaea

  1. Each indel was analyzed by creating an alignment of archaeal sequences from BLAST searches. We consider these results to be inconclusive until thaumarchaeota and korarchaeota are sampled better.