Potential for aerobic hydrocarbon oxidation in archaea

Over the last decade, there have been significant advances in our understanding of anaerobic hydrocarbon oxidation in archaea. However, the ability to oxidise hydrocarbons aerobically has been described in bacteria but not yet in archaea. Here, we provide evidence supporting potential aerobic hydrocarbon oxidation ability in archaea belonging to a novel order within the class Syntropharchaeia, which we propose to name Candidatus ‘Aerarchaeales’. This order is represented by six metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) spanning three genera that are found in terrestrial and marine ecosystems. In particular, MAGs belonging to a newly defined genus, Ca. ‘Aerovita’, encode a copper monooxygenase complex with homology to bacterial hydrocarbon monooxygenases. The presence of genes encoding other oxygen-dependent enzymes, such as haem-copper oxygen reductase, indicates that Ca. ‘Aerovita’ may be capable of aerobic respiration. Our findings suggest that horizontal gene transfer between archaeal and bacterial domains facilitated the evolution of aerobic hydrocarbon-oxidizing archaea.