''Thermosphaera'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
of the
Desulfurococcaceae
In taxonomy, the Desulfurococcaceae are a family of the disc-shaped anaerobic microorganisms belonging to the order Desulfurococcales, in the domain Archaea. Members of this family are distinguished from the other family ( Pyrodictiaceae) in ...
. 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
Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming
Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is border ...
.
Cell structure and metabolism
Cells of ''Thermosphaera'' are
cocci
A coccus (plural cocci) is any bacterium or archaeon that has a spherical, ovoid, or generally round shape. Bacteria are categorized based on their shapes into three classes: cocci (spherical-shaped), bacillus (rod-shaped) and spiral ( of wh ...
(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
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 ...
; 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''.
[See the NCBIbr>webpage on Thermosphaera]
Data extracted from the
References
Further reading
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External links
Archaea genera
Thermoproteota
{{archaea-stub