In taxonomy, Methanobacterium is a genus of the Methanobacteriaceae family of Archaea.[1] Despite the name, this genus belongs not to the bacterial domain but the archaeal domain (for instance, they lack peptidoglycan in their cell walls).[2] Methanobacterium are nonmotile and live without oxygen. Some members of this genus can use formate to reduce methane; others live exclusively through the reduction of carbon dioxide with hydrogen. They are ubiquitous in some hot, low-oxygen environments, such as anaerobic digestors, their wastewater, and hot springs.[3]
Methanobacterium bryantii is part of the syntrophic Methanobacillus omelianskii culture.Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum Marburg can undergo natural genetic transformation, the transfer of DNA from one cell to another.[4] Genetic transformation in archaeal species, generally, appears to be an adaptation for repairing DNA damage in a cell by utilizing intact DNA information derived from another cell.[5]
The currently accepted taxonomy is based on the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN) [6] and National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).[1]