GoKawiilResearchers culture Promethearchaeota, closest archaeal relatives of eukaryotes
Scientists collected biofilm samples from a gas production well in Japan's Southern Kanto gas field between 2019 and 2023 and used them to isolate strains of Promethearchaeota, an archaeal lineage previously known mainly from genomic data. Using targeted cultivation techniques with nutrient-rich anaerobic media, they successfully grew two cultures, named HC1 and SC1, from the microbially diverse biofilm.
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Successfully culturing these organisms could let scientists directly study microbes long considered among the closest living relatives of eukaryotes, potentially shedding light on how complex cellular life evolved. The use of methods designed around specific expectations for this archaeal group suggests a targeted strategy that may help unlock other previously uncultivable microbial lineages tied to major evolutionary questions.
- Biofilm samples were collected from a gas well in Chiba Prefecture, Japan over several years.
- Researchers isolated two cultures, HC1 and SC1, of Promethearchaeota archaea using specialized anaerobic media.
- The work provides lab-grown access to organisms considered genetically close to the ancestors of eukaryotic life.
Source: nature.com — Imachi, 2026-10-28
Published there as: “Eukaryotes’ closest relatives are internally simple syntrophic peptidotrophic archaea”
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