A hyperthermophile is an organism that thrives in extremely hot environments— from 60 degrees Celsius(140 degrees Fahrenheit) to 169 degrees Celsius (336. 2 degrees Fahrenheit). An optimal temperature for the existence of Hypothermophiles are above 80°C (176°F). Hyperthermophiles are a subset of extremophiles, micro-organisms within the domain Archaea, although some bacteria are able to tolerate temperatures of around 100°C (212°F), too. An extremophile is an Organism that thrives in and may even require Physically or Geochemically extreme conditions that are detrimental to the The Bacteria ( singular: bacterium) are a large group of unicellular Microorganisms Typically a few Micrometres in length bacteria have Many hyperthermophiles are also able to withstand other environmental extremes such as high acidity or radiation levels.
Hyperthermophiles were first discovered in the 1960s, in hot springs in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 The State of Wyoming ( is a sparsely populated state in the western region of the United States. Since then, more than fifty species have been discovered. The most hardy hyperthermophiles yet discovered live on the superheated walls of deep-sea hydrothermal vents, requiring temperatures of at least 90°C for survival. See Superheater for the device used in Steam engines In Physics, superheating (sometimes referred to as boiling retardation A hydrothermal vent is a Fissure in a planet's surface from which geothermally heated Water issues The most heat-tolerant hyperthermophile is the recently-discovered Strain 121[1] which has been able to double its population during 24 hours in an autoclave at 121°C (hence its name). Strain 121 is a single- celled Microbe, of the domain Archaea. An autoclave is a pressurized device designed to heat aqueous solutions above their Boiling point at normal atmospheric pressure to achieve sterilization
Although no hyperthermophile has yet been discovered living at temperatures above 121°C, their existence is very possible (Strain 121 survived being heated to 130°C for two hours, but was not able to reproduce until it had been transferred into a fresh growth medium, at a relatively-cooler 103°C). Bacteriostatic Antibiotics limit the growth of bacteria by interfering with bacterial Protein production DNA replication or other aspects of However, it is thought unlikely that microbes could survive at temperatures above 150°C, as the cohesion of DNA and other vital molecules begins to break down at this point. Deoxyribonucleic acid ( DNA) is a Nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known
Early research into hyperthermophiles speculated that their genomes could be characterized by high guanine-cytosine content; however, recent studies show that "there is no obvious correlation between the GC content of the genome and the optimal environmental growth temperature of the organism. In classical genetics the genome of a Diploid Organism including Eukarya refers to a full set of chromosomes or genes in a Gamete, thereby GC-content (or guanine-cytosine content in molecular biology is the percentage of Nitrogenous bases on a DNA molecule which are either Guanine or "[2]
The protein molecules in the hyperthermophiles exhibit hyperthermostability—that is, they can maintain structural stability (and therefore function) at high temperatures. Proteins are large Organic compounds made of Amino acids arranged in a linear chain and joined together by Peptide bonds between the Carboxyl Such proteins are homologous to their functional analogues in organisms which thrive at lower temperatures, but have evolved to exhibit optimal function at much greater temperatures. In Evolutionary biology, homology has come to mean any similarity between characters that is due to their shared ancestry. Most of the low-temperature homologues of the hyperthermostable proteins would be denatured above 60°C. Denaturation is a process in which Proteins or Nucleic acids lose their structure (tertiary structure by application of some external stress or compound for Such hyperthermostable proteins are often commercially important, as chemical reactions proceed faster at high temperatures. The genomic signature of hyperthermophilic adaptation is characterized by the overrepresentation of purine bases in protein coding sequences and higher GC-content in tRNA/rRNA sequences. [3]
Specific hyperthermophiles
- Strain 121, an Archaea living at 121°C in the Pacific. Strain 121 is a single- celled Microbe, of the domain Archaea.
- Pyrolobus fumarii, an Archaea living at 113°C in Atlantic hydrothermal vents.
- Methanopyrus kandleri, an Archaea in 80–100°C in a Gulf of California vent. In taxonomy, Methanopyrus is a Genus of the Methanopyraceae. Methanopyrus is a genus of Methanogen, " Sea of Cortez " redirects here For the book by John Steinbeck, see The Log from the Sea of Cortez.
- Pyrococcus furiosus, an Archaea which thrives at 100°C, first discovered in Italy near a volcanic vent. Pyrococcus furiosus is an extremophilic species of Archaea. It is notable for having an optimum growth temperature of 100°C (a temperature which would
- Geothermobacterium ferrireducens, Bacteria which thrive in 65–100°C in Obsidian Pool, Yellowstone National Park. The Bacteria ( singular: bacterium) are a large group of unicellular Microorganisms Typically a few Micrometres in length bacteria have
- Aquifex aeolicus, Bacteria living at 85–95°C in Yellowstone National Park. Aquifex is a Genus of Bacteria, one of the few in the phylum Aquificae. The Bacteria ( singular: bacterium) are a large group of unicellular Microorganisms Typically a few Micrometres in length bacteria have
References
- ^ Microbe from depths takes life to hottest known limit
- ^ High guanine-cytosine content is not an adaptation to high temperature: a comparative analysis amongst prokaryotes
- ^ "Analysis of Nanoarchaeum equitans genome and proteome composition: indications for hyperthermophilic and parasitic adaptation."
- Holt JG (editor) (1994). Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, 9th ed. , Williams & Wilkins. ISBN 0-683-00603-7.
- Madigan, Michael; Martinko, John (editors) (2005). Brock Biology of Microorganisms, 11th ed. , Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-144329-1.
See also
A mesophile is an Organism that grows best in moderate Temperature, neither too hot nor too cold typically between 15 and 40 °C (77 and 104 °F A thermophile is an organism &mdash a type of Extremophile &mdash which thrives at relatively high temperatures between 45 and 80 °C (113 and 176 °FDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic