Thermosphaera

In taxonomy, Thermosphaera is a genus of the Desulfurococcaceae. They are a group of prokaryotic organisms which have been discovered in extremely hot environments such as sulfur springs, volcanoes, and magma pools. Isolates of Thermosphaera were first identified in 1998 from the Obsidian Pool in Yellowstone National Park.

Thermosphaera
Scientific classification
Domain:
Archaea
Kingdom:
Crenarchaeota
Phylum:
Crenarchaeota
Class:
Thermoprotei
Order:
Desulfurococcales
Family:
Desulfurococcaceae
Genus:
Thermosphaera

Huber, Dyba, Huber, Burggraf & Rachel, 1998
Species
  • T. aggregans

Cell structure and metabolism

Cells of Thermosphaera are cocci (spherical) and form grape-like aggregates during the exponential growth phase. In the late exponential and stationary growth phases, smaller groups, including some single cells, were visible. Aggregates were shown to have several flagella; single cells could have as many as eight. The cell envelope is an amorphous layer covering a cytoplasmic membrane. Temperatures exceeding 92 °C inhibits growth, as does sulfur and hydrogen. Thermosphaera cells are heterotrophic, processing energy from yeast.

Ecology

Thermosphaera are found mainly in sulfuric pools, where they thrive on the extreme temperatures. In terms of research and economic significance, learning more about these organisms and their properties may help advancements in biotechnology.

Genome structure

Sequencing the 16S rRNA of Thermosphaera showed that this isolate was a member of the group Crenarchaeota and closely related to Staphylothermus and Desulfurococcus.

[1]

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References
  1. See the NCBI webpage on Thermosphaera. Data extracted from the "NCBI taxonomy resources". National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved 2007-03-19.

Further reading

Scientific journals

Scientific books

Scientific databases


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