Methanomassiliicoccales from cow rumen enrichment culture

In this study the environmental distribution of the novel methanogenic order Methanomassiliicoccales was investigated. We surveyed Methanomassiliicoccales presence in wetland soils, a globally important source of methane emissions to the atmosphere, and in animal gastro-intestinal tracts (GIT). Methanomassiliicoccales were subdivided in two broad phylogenetic clades (environmental vs. GIT clade). Clade-specific genomic adaptations were shown by comparative genomics, including two new draft genomes (RumEn M1 and M2) that were reconstructed from metagenomic data of rumen enrichment cultures.