''Pyrococcus horikoshii'' is a
hyperthermophilic
A hyperthermophile is an organism that thrives in extremely hot environments—from 60 °C (140 °F) upwards. An optimal temperature for the existence of hyperthermophiles is often above 80 °C (176 °F). Hyperthermophiles are often within the doma ...
, anaerobic
archaeon, first isolated from
hydrothermal fluid samples obtained at the
Okinawa Trough
The (also called , literally China-Ryukyu Border Trough ) is a seabed feature of the East China Sea. It is an active, initial back-arc rifting basin which has formed behind the Ryukyu arc-trench system in the West Pacific. It developed where t ...
vents at a depth of . It is obligately
heterotrophic
A heterotroph (; ) is an organism that cannot produce its own food, instead taking nutrition from other sources of organic carbon, mainly plant or animal matter. In the food chain, heterotrophs are primary, secondary and tertiary consumers, but ...
, cells are irregular cocci with a tuft of
flagella
A flagellum (; ) is a hairlike appendage that protrudes from certain plant and animal sperm cells, and from a wide range of microorganisms to provide motility. Many protists with flagella are termed as flagellates.
A microorganism may have f ...
, growing optimally at 98 °C,
sulphur
Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formula ...
greatly enhancing its growth.
References
Further reading
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External links
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WORMS entryLPSNType strain of ''Pyrococcus horikoshii'' at Bac''Dive'' - the Bacterial Diversity Metadatabase
Archaea described in 1993
Euryarchaeota
{{Euryarchaeota-stub