''Thermosphaera'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of the
Desulfurococcaceae
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 the order Desulfuroc ...
. 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 a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, with small portions extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U ...
.
Cell structure and metabolism
Cells of ''Thermosphaera'' are
cocci
Bacterial cellular morphologies are the shapes that are characteristic of various types of bacteria and often key to their identification. Their direct examination under a light microscope enables the classification of these bacteria (and archaea ...
(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 (; : flagella) (Latin for 'whip' or 'scourge') is a hair-like appendage that protrudes from certain plant and animal sperm cells, from fungal spores ( zoospores), and from a wide range of microorganisms to provide motility. Many pr ...
; 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 ]NCBI
The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) is part of the National Library of Medicine (NLM), a branch of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It is approved and funded by the government of the United States. The NCBI is loca ...
br>webpage on Thermosphaera
Data extracted from the
See also
*
List of Archaea genera
This article lists the genera of the Archaea. The currently accepted taxonomy is based on the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN) and National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). However, in the List provided bel ...
References
Further reading
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External links
Monotypic archaea genera
Thermoproteota
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