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Information about Thermophile

For the character in , see Thermophile (Conker).


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Thermophiles produce some of the bright colors of Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park
A thermophile is an organism – a type of extremophile – which thrives at relatively high temperatures, above 45 °C. Many thermophiles are archaea.

Thermophiles are found in various geothermally heated regions of the Earth such as hot springs like those in Yellowstone National Park (see image) and deep sea hydrothermal vents, as well as decaying plant matter such as peat bogs and compost.

As a prerequisite for their survival, thermophiles contain enzymes that can function at high temperature. Some of these enzymes are used in molecular biology (for example heat-stable DNA polymerases for polymerase chain reaction), and in washing agents.

Thermophiles are classified into obligate and facultative thermophiles: obligate thermophiles (also called extreme thermophiles) require such high temperatures for growth, while facultative thermophiles (also called moderate thermophiles) can thrive at high temperatures but also at lower temperatures (below 50 °C). Hyperthermophiles are particularly extreme thermophiles for which the optimal temperatures are above 80 °C.

Importance of enzymes from thermophiles

The enzymes isolated from some extremophiles have proven to be of great use in the biotechnology industry, able to function under conditions that would denature enzymes taken from most "normal" organisms.

The most commonly used DNA polymerase for the polymerase chain reaction technique is Taq DNA polymerase, originally isolated from Thermus aquaticus, a bacterial species found in surface aquatic locations such as Yellowstone National Park hot springs. For a few PCR applications, the lack of proofreading by Taq DNA polymerase is a problem.

The DNA polymerase from Thermococcus litoralis was shown to have a proofreading exonuclease activity. (Mattila et al, 1991)Thermococcus litoralis was isolated from a deep sea hydrothermal vent. This DNA polymerase is marketed as "Vent" polymerase.

Another heat stable polymerase comes from the organism Pyrococcus furiosus, (Pfu). This organism grows optimally at 100°C, making it a hyperthermophile.

Taq DNA polymerase is adequate for most PCR, but one study (Hamilton et al, 2001). reported that higher fidelity thermostable DNA polymerases such as Vent account for as much as 30% of DNA polymerase sales.

In addition, the study of proteins from thermophilic organisms has provided important insight into the mechanism of protein folding because these proteins must be stable at temperatures that would denature typical proteins. Therefore, understanding how thermophilic proteins have evolved to be stable can yield information about the functional modulation of folding landscapes.

Some thermophilic organisms

The Pompeii worm survives the scalding temperatures surrounding deep-sea hydrothermal vents thanks to a symbiotic relationship with thermophilic bacteria.

Extreme Thermophiles

Thermophiles are heat-loving (hence the name), with an optimum growth temperature of 50 °C or more, a maximum of up to 70 °C or more, and a minimum of about 20 °C, but these are only approximate. Some extreme thermophiles (hyperthermophiles) require a very high temperature (80 °C to 105 °C) for growth. Their membranes and proteins are unusually stable at these extremely high temperatures. Thus many important biotechnological process utilize thermophilic enzymes because of their ability to withstand intense heat.

Many of the hyperthermophiles Archea require elemental sulfur for growth. Some are anaerobes that use the sulfur as an electron acceptor during respiration instead of oxygen. Some are lithotrophs that oxidize sulfur to sulfuric acid as an energy source, thus requiring the microorganism to be adapted to very low pH (i.e. it is an acidophile as well as thermophile). These organisms are inhabitants of hot, sulfur-rich environments usually associated with volcanism, such as hot springs, geysers and fumaroles. In these places, especially in Yellowstone National Park, we find a zonation of microorganisms according to their temperature optima. Often these organisma are coloured, due to the presence of photosynthetic pigments.

Books Examining Thermophiles

"em>The Microbes of Yellowstone" by Sheehan Kathy B, Patterson David J, Dicks Brett Leigh, and Henson Joan M. The Globe Pequot Press (2006)

Microorganisms and Life at High Temperatures by Brock Thomas D. Springer-Verlag (1978).

See also

References

Extreme Thermophiles

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Extremophile
CategoriesAcidophile Alkaliphile Barophile Capnophile Endolith Halophile Hyperthermophile Hypolith Lithoautotroph Lithophile Oligotroph Osmophile Piezophile Polyextremophile Psychrophile Thermophile Xerophile
Notable extremophilesChloroflexus aurantiacus Deinococcus radiodurans Deinococcus-Thermus Paralvinella sulfincola Pompeii worm Pyrococcus furiosus Snottite Strain 121 Thermus aquaticus Thermus thermophilus
Related articlesArchaea Abiogenic petroleum origin Acidithiobacillales Acidobacteria Archaeoglobaceae Berkeley Pit Crenarchaeota Grylloblattidae Halobacteria Halobacterium Hydrothermal vent Methanopyrus Radioresistance Thermostability Thermotogae
An extremophile is an organism that thrives in and may even require physically or geochemically extreme conditions that are detrimental to the majority of life on Earth.

Most extremophiles are microbes.
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Celsius is, or relates to, the Celsius temperature scale (previously known as the centigrade scale). The degree Celsius (symbol: °C) can refer to a specific temperature on the Celsius scale
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Archaea
Woese, Kandler & Wheelis, 1990

Phyla

Crenarchaeota
Euryarchaeota
Korarchaeota
Nanoarchaeota
ARMAN
The Archaea (
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geothermal refers to heat sources within the planet. Strictly speaking, geo-thermal necessarily refers to the Earth but the concept may be applied to other planets.

Geothermal is technically an adjective (e.g., geothermal energy) but in U.S.
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EARTH was a short-lived Japanese vocal trio which released 6 singles and 1 album between 2000 and 2001. Their greatest hit, their debut single "time after time", peaked at #13 in the Oricon singles chart.
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Location Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, U.S.

Coordinates
Area 2,219,789 acres (8,983 km²)[1]
Established March 1, 1872
Total visitation 2,870,295[2] (in 2006)
Governing body
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deep sea, or deep layer[1] is the lowest layer in the ocean, existing below the thermocline. Little or no light penetrates this area of the ocean, and most of its organisms rely on falling organic matter produced in the photic zone for subsistence.
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A hydrothermal vent, also called a "black smoker", is a fissure in a planet's surface from which geothermally heated water issues. Hydrothermal vents are commonly found near volcanically active places, tectonic plates that are moving apart, ocean basins, and hotspots.
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Enzymes are proteins that catalyze (i.e. accelerate) chemical reactions.[1] In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process are called substrates, and the enzyme converts them into different molecules, the products.
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Molecular biology is the study of biology at a molecular level. The field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry. Molecular biology chiefly concerns itself with understanding the interactions between the various systems of a cell,
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Pol I: implicated in DNA repair; has both 5'->3'(Nick translation) and 3'->5' (Proofreading) exonuclease activity.
  • Pol II: involved in replication of damaged DNA; has both 5'->3'chain extension ability and 3'->5' exonuclease activity.
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    • polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a biochemistry and molecular biology technique[1] for exponentially amplifying a fragment of DNA, via enzymatic replication, without using a living organism (such as E. coli or yeast).
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    hyperthermophile is an organism that thrives in extremely hot environments — that is, hotter than around 60°C, with an optimal temperature above 80°C. The most heat-tolerant hyperthermophile is the recently-discovered Strain 121
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    Enzymes are proteins that catalyze (i.e. accelerate) chemical reactions.[1] In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process are called substrates, and the enzyme converts them into different molecules, the products.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Biotechnology is technology based on biology, especially when used in agriculture, food science, and medicine. The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity has come up with one of many definitions of biotechnology:[1]

    "

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    Denaturation is the alteration of a protein or nucleic acid's shape through some form of external stress (for example, by applying heat, acid or alkali), in such a way that it will no longer be able to carry out its cellular function.
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    A polymerase (EC 2.7.7.6/7/19/48/49) is an enzyme whose central function is associated with polymers of nucleic acids such as RNA and DNA. The primary function of a polymerase is the polymerization of new DNA or RNA against an existing DNA or RNA template in the processes of
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    Taq polymerase ("Taq Pol," or simply "Taq") is a thermostable polymerase used in polymerase chain reaction to check for the presence or absence of a gene by amplifying a DNA fragment. It replaced E.coli DNA polymerase in PCR because of the temperature conditions of PCR.
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    Thermophilus

    Species: T. aquaticus

    Binomial name
    Thermophilus aquaticus
    Brock & Freeze, 1969

    Thermophilus aquaticus
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    Bacteria

    Phyla

    Actinobacteria
    Aquificae
    Chlamydiae
    Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi
    Chloroflexi
    Chrysiogenetes
    Cyanobacteria
    Deferribacteres
    Deinococcus-Thermus
    Dictyoglomi
    Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria
    Firmicutes
    Fusobacteria
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    species is one of the basic units of biological classification. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring.
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    Location Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, U.S.

    Coordinates
    Area 2,219,789 acres (8,983 km²)[1]
    Established March 1, 1872
    Total visitation 2,870,295[2] (in 2006)
    Governing body
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Hot Springs is the name of some places in the United States of America. These places are almost always named after the presence of a hot spring in the area. For example:
    • Hot Springs, Arkansas
    • Hot Springs, Montana
    • Hot Springs, North Carolina

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    Exonucleases are enzymes (found as individual enzymes, or as parts of larger enzyme complexes) that cleave nucleotides one at a time from an end of a polynucleotide chain. These enzymes hydrolyse phosphodiester bonds from either the 3' or 5' terminus of a polynucleotide molecule.
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    Black smokers are a type of hydrothermal vent found on the ocean floor. The vents are formed in fields hundreds of meters wide when superheated water from below the Earth's crust comes through the ocean floor. It can also be known as a Sea Vent.
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    P. furiosus

    Binomial name
    Pyrococcus furiosus
    Erauso et al. 1993

    Pyrococcus furiosus is an extremophilic species of Archaea.
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    hyperthermophile is an organism that thrives in extremely hot environments — that is, hotter than around 60°C, with an optimal temperature above 80°C. The most heat-tolerant hyperthermophile is the recently-discovered Strain 121
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Protein folding is the physical process by which a polypeptide folds into its characteristic three-dimensional structure.[1] Each protein begins as a polypeptide, translated from a sequence of mRNA as a linear chain of amino acids.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    P. furiosus

    Binomial name
    Pyrococcus furiosus
    Erauso et al. 1993

    Pyrococcus furiosus is an extremophilic species of Archaea.
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    Thermus

    Species: T. thermophilus

    Binomial name
    Thermus thermophilus

    Thermus thermophilus
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