''Palaeococcus helgesonii'' is a
hyperthermophillic,
anaerobic
Anaerobic means "living, active, occurring, or existing in the absence of free oxygen", as opposed to aerobic which means "living, active, or occurring only in the presence of oxygen." Anaerobic may also refer to:
*Adhesive#Anaerobic, Anaerobic ad ...
yet
microaerobic
A microaerophile is a microorganism that requires environments containing lower levels of dioxygen than that are present in the atmosphere (i.e. < 21% O2; typically 2–10% O2) for optimal growth.[ A more ...]
archaeon
Archaea ( ; singular archaeon ) is a domain of single-celled organisms. These microorganisms lack cell nuclei and are therefore prokaryotes. Archaea were initially classified as bacteria, receiving the name archaebacteria (in the Archaebact ...
from a
geothermal well found in
Vulcano
Vulcano ( scn, Vurcanu) or Vulcan is a small volcanic island belonging to Italy in the Tyrrhenian Sea, about north of Sicily and located at the southernmost end of the seven Aeolian Islands. The island is known for its volcanic activity and c ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
.
It is characterized as sphere-shaped, has a cell diameter ranging from 0.6 to 1.5 μm, a cell envelope consisting of a cytoplasmic membrane, a periplasmic space, a thin, electron-dense layer, and tufts of polar flagella.
It occurs singly or in pairs. It can survive in temperatures ranging from 45 to 80°C, a pH range of 5 to 8, and a
salt
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quanti ...
range of 0.5 to 6.0%.
In optimal conditions (a temperature of 80°C, a pH around 6.5, and a salt level of 2.8), it has a doubling time of 50 minutes.
It also has a G+C of 42.5 mol.%.
References
Further reading
*
External links
Type strain of ''Palaeococcus helgesonii'' at Bac''Dive'' - the Bacterial Diversity Metadatabase
{{Taxonbar, from=Q20669259
Euryarchaeota
Archaea described in 2006