NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Hyperthermophile

A hyperthermophile is an organism that thrives in extremely hot environments - that is, hotter than around 60°C. The optimal temperatures are between 80°C and 110°C; in fact, the recently-discovered "Strain 121" [1] has been able to double its population during 24 hours in an autoclave at 121°C (hence its name). Most hyperthermophiles are extremophile micro-organisms within the domain Archaea, although some bacteria and cyanobacteria are able to tolerate temperatures of around 70°C. Many hyperthermophiles are able to withstand other environmental extremes - for instance, high acidity or radiation levels. Image File history File links Aerial view of Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park Image by NPS Photo - http://www. ... Image File history File links Aerial view of Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park Image by NPS Photo - http://www. ... Front loading autoclaves are common Image:Autoclave cassette. ... An extremophile is an organism, usually unicellular, which thrives in or requires extreme conditions. ... Phyla / Classes Phylum Crenarchaeota Phylum Euryarchaeota Halobacteria Methanobacteria Methanococci Methanopyri Archaeoglobi Thermoplasmata Thermococci Phylum Korarchaeota Phylum Nanoarchaeota The Archaea (pronounced /É‘ËËŒkiËÉ™/), also called Archaebacteria (pronounced /ËˆÉ‘ËkÉªbakËŒtÉªÉ™rÉªÉ™/), are a major division of living organisms. ... Phyla/Divisions Actinobacteria Aquificae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chlamydiae/Verrucomicrobia Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Nitrospirae Omnibacteria Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Bacteria (singular, bacterium) are a major group of living organisms. ... Orders The taxonomy of the Cyanobacteria is currently under revision. ...

Hyperthermophiles were first discovered in the 1960s in hot springs in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Since then, more than fifty species have been discovered. The most hardy hyperthermophiles thus known live on the superheated walls of deep-sea hydrothermal vents, requiring temperatures of at least 90°C for survival. The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... For the next-generation airliner series from Boeing, see Boeing Yellowstone. ... Official language(s) English Capital Cheyenne Largest city Cheyenne Area - Total - Width - Length - % water - Latitude - Longitude Ranked 10th 253,554 kmÂ² 450 km 580 km 0. ... In physics, superheating (sometimes referred to as boiling retardation, boiling delay, or defervescence) is the phenomenon in which a liquid is heated to a temperature higher than its standard boiling point, without actually boiling. ... A hydrothermal vent A hydrothermal vent is a fissure in a planets surface from which geothermally heated water issues. ...

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 2 hours, but was not able to reproduce until it had been transferred into a fresh growth medium, at a relatively-cooler 103°C). However, it is thought unlikely that microbes could survive at 150°C or hotter, as the cohesion of DNA and other vital molecules begins to break down at this point. The general structure of a section of DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid â€”usually in the form of a double helixâ€” that contains the genetic instructions specifying the biological development of all cellular forms of life (and most viruses). ...

The protein molecules in the hyperthermophiles are required to exhibit hyperthermostability. That is the property of maintaining structural stability (and therefore function) at high temperatures. 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. Most of the low temperature homologues of the hyperthermostable proteins would be denatured above 60°C. Such hyperthermostable proteins are often commercially important, as chemical reactions proceed faster at high temperatures. A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin, showing coloured alpha helices. ... Two or more structures are said to be homologous if they are alike because of shared ancestry. ... In biochemistry, a compound that has been denatured has lost its native state, or in other words, no longer has the shape that is most compact and allows for optimal biological activity. ...

Other hyperthermophiles:

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.
Pyrococcus furiosus, an Archaea which thrives at 100°C, first discovered in Italy near a volcanic vent.

Phyla / Classes Phylum Crenarchaeota Phylum Euryarchaeota Halobacteria Methanobacteria Methanococci Methanopyri Archaeoglobi Thermoplasmata Thermococci Phylum Korarchaeota Phylum Nanoarchaeota The Archaea (pronounced /É‘ËËŒkiËÉ™/), also called Archaebacteria (pronounced /ËˆÉ‘ËkÉªbakËŒtÉªÉ™rÉªÉ™/), are a major division of living organisms. ... Binomial name Methanopyrus kandleri AV19 Slesarev AI et al. ... Phyla / Classes Phylum Crenarchaeota Phylum Euryarchaeota Halobacteria Methanobacteria Methanococci Methanopyri Archaeoglobi Thermoplasmata Thermococci Phylum Korarchaeota Phylum Nanoarchaeota The Archaea (pronounced /É‘ËËŒkiËÉ™/), also called Archaebacteria (pronounced /ËˆÉ‘ËkÉªbakËŒtÉªÉ™rÉªÉ™/), are a major division of living organisms. ... The Gulf of California (also known as the Sea of Cortez or Sea of CortÃ©s; locally known in the Spanish language as Mar de CortÃ©s or, much less frequently, Golfo de California) is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland. ... Pyrococcus furiosus is an extremophile species of Archaea that is the source of DNA useful to scientists. ... Phyla / Classes Phylum Crenarchaeota Phylum Euryarchaeota Halobacteria Methanobacteria Methanococci Methanopyri Archaeoglobi Thermoplasmata Thermococci Phylum Korarchaeota Phylum Nanoarchaeota The Archaea (pronounced /É‘ËËŒkiËÉ™/), also called Archaebacteria (pronounced /ËˆÉ‘ËkÉªbakËŒtÉªÉ™rÉªÉ™/), are a major division of living organisms. ...

See also