Genomics GM_M0001

title:Comparative genomics of archaea: how much have we learned in
six years, and what’s next?
author:Kira S Makarova and Eugene V Koonin
year:2003
place of publish:
abstract:
Archaea comprise one of the three distinct domains of life (with bacteria and eukaryotes). With 16
complete archaeal genomes sequenced to date, comparative genomics has revealed a conserved
core of 313 genes that are represented in all sequenced archaeal genomes, plus a variable ‘shell’ that
is prone to lineage-specific gene loss and horizontal gene exchange. The majority of archaeal genes
have not been experimentally characterized, but novel functional pathways have been predicted