Rudolf K. Thauer

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Rudolf K. Thauer (born October 5, 1939) is a biologist and a retired professor of microbiology and heads the Emeritus group at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology in Marburg. [1] Thauer taught in the faculty of Biology at the University of Marburg for about 15 years and is known primarily for his work on the biochemistry of methanogens. [2]

He received the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft in 1986, among numerous other honours including honorary doctorates from ETH Zurich, University of Waterloo [3] and the University of Freiberg. [1] In 1991 he became founding director of the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology in Marburg.

A novel genus of betaproteobacteria was named Thauera in his honour. [4] Methanobrevibacter thaueri was also named after Thauer. [5]

He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2018. [6]

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In taxonomy, Methanobrevibacter is a genus of the Methanobacteriaceae. The species within Methanobrevibacter are strictly anaerobic archaea that produce methane, for the most part through the reduction of carbon dioxide via hydrogen. Most species live in the intestines of larger organisms, such as termites and are responsible for the large quantities of greenhouse gases that they produce. Mbr. smithii, found in the human intestine, may play a role in obesity.

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Methanobrevibacter cuticularis is a species of methanogen archaeon. It was first isolated from the hindgut of the termite Reticulitermes flavipes. It is rod-shaped, ranging in size from 0.34 to 1.6 µm and possesses polar fibers. Its morphology, gram-positive staining reaction, resistance to cell lysis by chemical agents and narrow range of utilizable substrates are typical of species belonging to the family Methanobacteriaceae. It habitates on or near the hindgut epithelium and also attached to filamentous prokaryotes associated with the gut wall. It is one of the predominant gut biota.

Methanobrevibacter curvatus is a species of methanogen archaeon. It was first isolated from the hindgut of the termite Reticulitermes flavipes. It is rod-shaped, ranging in size from 0.34 to 1.6 µm and possesses polar fibers. Its morphology, gram-positive staining reaction, resistance to cell lysis by chemical agents and narrow range of utilisable substrates are typical of species belonging to the family Methanobacteriaceae. It habitates on or near the hindgut epithelium and also attached to filamentous prokaryotes associated with the gut wall. It is one of the predominant gut biota.

Methanobrevibacter filiformis is a species of methanogen archaeon. It was first isolated from the hindgut of the termite Reticulitermes flavipes. It is rod-shaped and possesses polar fibers. Its morphology, gram-positive staining reaction, resistance to cell lysis by chemical agents and narrow range of utilisable substrates are typical of species belonging to the family Methanobacteriaceae. It habitates on or near the hindgut epithelium and also attached to filamentous prokaryotes associated with the gut wall. It is one of the predominant gut biota.

Methanobrevibacter gottschalkii is a species of methanogen archaeon, named after Gerhard Gottschalk.

Methanobrevibacter thaueri is a species of methanogen archaeon, named after Rolf K. Thauer.

Methanobrevibacter woesei is a species of methanogen archaeon, named after Carl R. Woese.

Methanobrevibacter wolinii is a species of methanogen archaeon, named after Meyer J. Wolin.

Methanosphaera stadtmaniae is a methanogen archaeon. It is a non-motile, Gram-positive, spherical-shaped organism that obtains energy by using hydrogen to reduce methanol to methane. It does not possess cytochromes and is part of the large intestine's biota.

Methanothermobacter marburgensis is a thermophilic and obligately autotrophic archaeon. Its type strain is MarburgT. Its genome has been sequenced.

Regine Kahmann is a German microbiologist and was Director at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology in Marburg from 2000 to 2019. She was made a Foreign Member of the Royal Society (ForMRS) in 2020.

Lotte Søgaard-Andersen is a Danish microbiologist and molecular geneticist who researches cell signaling and regulation of the cell cycle. She works at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology as director and is an elected member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and American Academy of Microbiology.

Gert Bange is a German structural biologist and biochemist. He is Professor of Biochemistry at the Department of Chemistry and Vice President for Research at Philipps-Universität Marburg.

References

  1. 1 2 "Prof. Dr. R.K. Thauer curriculum vitae". Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology. Archived from the original on 2011-01-12. Retrieved 2011-01-10.
  2. "Biochemistry of methanogens II - MPI for Terrestrial Microbiology". Prof. Dr. R.K. Thauer- most important work. Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology. Archived from the original on 2011-01-05. Retrieved 2011-01-10.
  3. "UW Daily Bulletin, June 13, 2007". Communications and Public Affairs, University of Waterloo. June 13, 2007. Retrieved 2011-01-10.
  4. Garrity, George M.; Brenner, Don J.; Krieg, Noel R.; Staley, James T. (eds.) (2005). Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, Volume Two: The Proteobacteria, Part C: The Alpha-, Beta-, Delta-, and Epsilonproteobacteria. New York, New York: Springer. ISBN   978-0-387-24145-6.
  5. Miller, Terry L; Lin, Chuzhao (1 May 2002). "Description of Methanobrevibacter gottschalkii sp. nov., Methanobrevibacter thaueri sp. nov., Methanobrevibacter woesei sp. nov. and Methanobrevibacter wolinii sp. nov." International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. Microbiology Society. 52 (3): 819–822. doi: 10.1099/00207713-52-3-819 . ISSN   1466-5026. PMID   12054244.
  6. "Election of New Members at the 2018 Spring Meeting".