Spirochaeta thermophila

Last updated

Spirochaeta thermophila
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Domain: Bacteria
Phylum: Spirochaetes
Order: Spirochaetales
Family: Spirochaetaceae
Genus: Spirochaeta
Species:
S. thermophila
Binomial name
Spirochaeta thermophila
Aksenova 1992

Spirochaeta thermophila is a fairly recently discovered free-living, anaerobic, spirochaete that seems to be the most thermophilic of the Spirochaetales order. [1] [2] The type species was discovered in 1992 in Kuril islands, Russia and described in Aksenova, et al. [3] [4] It has been isolated in the sediments and water columns of brackish aquatic habitats of various ponds, lakes, rivers, and oceans. [1] This organism is identified as a new species based on its unique ability to degrade cellulose, xylan, and other α- and β-linked sugars and use them as the sole carbon source by encoding many glycoside hydrolases. [1] [2] [5] It is presumed to secrete cellulases to break down plant-matter around it but there has been little work on the characterization of the enzymes responsible for this. [2]

Contents

Original description

The original description depicts single, helical, .2-.25 μm by 16-50 μm Gram-negative cells. [3] The temperature range for survival of Spirochaeta thermophila is between 40° and 73° C with an optimum range between 66° and 68 °C. [2] [3] The pH range for survival was measured from 5.9 to 7.7 with an optimum of 7.5. [3] The G + C content measured was approximately 52% in the 1992 description but has been measured around 70% since that time. [1] [3] The original description also noted that organisms of the same species isolated from different environments could have different optimum temperatures, optimum pH for growth, and optimum saline concentrations; these would change based on the environment in which the organism is living. [3]

Glucose fermentation pathway

The fermentation process is the same Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway of glycolysis with the exception of one step. [4] The phosphorylation of fructose-6-phosphate mediates the production of pyrophosphate-dependent (PPi-dependent) phosphofrucktokinase instead of the usual ATP-dependent phosphofrucktokinase. [4] This appears to be a characteristic of Spirochaeta thermophila not found in other Spirochaeta species. [4] It is suggested that this different product could be a regulatory mechanism for catabolic processes; with low levels of the ATP-dependent molecule, AMP is produced. [4] AMP drives the production of PPi production for the step that is changed in the glycolysis pathway. [4]

The PPi-dependent phosphofrucktokinase sequences are only available from three organisms in the Spirochaetales order: Spirochaeta thermophila, Borrelia burgdorferi , and Treponema pallidum . [6] Comparing the sequences, in a 2001 study by Rominus et al., it was determined that S. thermophila was most closely related to T. pallidum for this sequence and the sister to those groups was B. burgedorferi. [6] This analysis showed the thermophily of S. thermophila and T. pallidum arose from a common ancestor between them and B. burgdorferi that was a mesophile. [6] This was an interesting revelation because it was previously assumed that the thermophilic, free-living spirochaetes gave rise to all extant spirochaetes. [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>Treponema pallidum</i> Species of bacterium

Treponema pallidum is a spirochaete bacterium with various subspecies that cause the diseases syphilis, bejel, and yaws. It is transmitted only amongst humans. It is a helically coiled microorganism usually 6–15 μm long and 0.1–0.2 μm wide. T. pallidum's lack of either tricarboxylic acid cycle or oxidative phosphorylation results in minimal metabolic activity. The treponemes have a cytoplasmic and an outer membrane. Using light microscopy, treponemes are visible only by using dark field illumination. Treponema pallidum consists of three subspecies, T. p. pallidum, T. p. endemicum, and T. p. pertenue, each of which has a distinct associated disease.

Aerobic organism Organism that thrives in an oxygenated environment

An aerobic organism or aerobe is an organism that can survive and grow in an oxygenated environment. In contrast, an anaerobic organism (anaerobe) is any organism that does not require oxygen for growth. Some anaerobes react negatively or even die if oxygen is present. The ability to exhibit aerobic respiration may yield benefits to the aerobic organism, as aerobic respiration yields more energy than anaerobic respiration. In July 2020, marine biologists reported that aerobic microorganisms (mainly), in "quasi-suspended animation", were found in organically-poor sediments, up to 101.5 million years old, 250 feet below the seafloor in the South Pacific Gyre (SPG), and could be the longest-living life forms ever found.

Spirochaete Phylum of bacteria

A spirochaete or spirochete is a member of the phylum Spirochaetes, which contains distinctive diderm (double-membrane) gram-negative bacteria, most of which have long, helically coiled cells. Spirochaetes are chemoheterotrophic in nature, with lengths between 3 and 500 μm and diameters around 0.09 to at least 3 μm.

A mesophile is an organism that grows best in moderate temperature, neither too hot nor too cold, with an optimum growth range from 20 to 45 °C. The term is mainly applied to microorganisms. Organisms that prefer extreme environments are known as extremophiles. Mesophiles have diverse classifications, belonging to two domains: Bacteria, Archaea, and to kingdom Fungi of domain Eucarya. Mesophiles belonging to the domain Bacteria can either be gram-positive or gram-negative. Oxygen requirements for mesophiles can be aerobic or anaerobic. There are three basic shapes of mesophiles: coccus, bacillus, and spiral.

<i>Spirochaeta</i> Genus of bacteria

Spirochaeta is a genus of bacteria classified within the phylum Spirochaetes.

Sulfur-reducing bacteria are microorganisms able to reduce elemental sulfur (S0) to hydrogen sulfide (H2S). These microbes use inorganic sulfur compounds as electron acceptors to sustain several activities such as respiration, conserving energy and growth, in absence of oxygen. The final product or these processes, sulfide, has a considerable influence on the chemistry of the environment and, in addition, is used as electron donor for a large variety of microbial metabolisms. Several types of bacteria and many non-methanogenic archaea can reduce sulfur. Microbial sulfur reduction was already shown in early studies, which highlighted the first proof of S0 reduction in a vibrioid bacterium from mud, with sulfur as electron acceptor and H2 as electron donor. The first pure cultured species of sulfur-reducing bacteria, Desulfuromonas acetoxidans, was discovered in 1976 and described by Pfennig Norbert and Biebel Hanno as an anaerobic sulfur-reducing and acetate-oxidizing bacterium, not able to reduce sulfate. Only few taxa are true sulfur-reducing bacteria, using sulfur reduction as the only or main catabolic reaction. Normally, they couple this reaction with the oxidation of acetate, succinate or other organic compounds. In general, sulfate-reducing bacteria are able to use both sulfate and elemental sulfur as electron acceptors. Thanks to its abundancy and thermodynamic stability, sulfate is the most studied electron acceptor for anaerobic respiration that involves sulfur compounds. Elemental sulfur, however, is very abundant and important, especially in deep-sea hydrothermal vents, hot springs and other extreme environments, making its isolation more difficult. Some bacteria – such as Proteus, Campylobacter, Pseudomonas and Salmonella – have the ability to reduce sulfur, but can also use oxygen and other terminal electron acceptors.

Thermus thermophilus is a Gram-negative bacterium used in a range of biotechnological applications, including as a model organism for genetic manipulation, structural genomics, and systems biology. The bacterium is extremely thermophilic, with an optimal growth temperature of about 65 °C (149 °F). Thermus thermophilus was originally isolated from a thermal vent within a hot spring in Izu, Japan by Tairo Oshima and Kazutomo Imahori. The organism has also been found to be important in the degradation of organic materials in the thermogenic phase of composting. T. thermophilus is classified into several strains, of which HB8 and HB27 are the most commonly used in laboratory environments. Genome analyses of these strains were independently completed in 2004.

In taxonomy, Sulfurisphaera is a genus of the Sulfolobaceae.

<i>Spirochaeta americana</i> Species of bacterium

Spirochaeta americana is a relatively newly discovered single-celled extremophile. This haloalkaliphilic and obligately anaerobic bacterium can be found in the bleach-like highly alkaline, salty, deep waters of California's Mono Lake.

The Chloroflexi or Chlorobacteria are a phylum of bacteria containing isolates with a diversity of phenotypes, including members that are aerobic thermophiles, which use oxygen and grow well in high temperatures; anoxygenic phototrophs, which use light for photosynthesis ; and anaerobic halorespirers, which uses halogenated organics as electron acceptors.

Thermococcus celer is a Gram-negative, spherical-shaped archaeon of the genus Thermococcus. The discovery of T. celer played an important role in rerooting the tree of life when T. celer was found to be more closely related to methanogenic Archaea than to other phenotypically similar thermophilic species. T. celer was the first archaeon discovered to house a circularized genome. Several type strains of T. celer have been identified: Vu13, ATCC 35543, and DSM 2476.

Thermoanaerobacter is a genus in the phylum Firmicutes (Bacteria). Members of this genus are thermophilic and anaerobic, several of them were previously described as Clostridium species and members of the now obsolete genera Acetogenium and Thermobacteroides

Thermoanaerobacter brockii, formerly Thermoanaerobium brockii, is a thermophilic, anaerobic, spore-forming bacteria.

Thermoanaerobacter kivui is a thermophilic, anaerobic, non-spore-forming species of bacteria.

Myceliophthora thermophila is an ascomycete fungus that grows optimally at 45–50 °C (113–122 °F). It efficiently degrades cellulose and is of interest in the production of biofuels. The genome has recently been sequenced, revealing the full range of enzymes this organism uses for the degradation of plant cell wall material.

Methanococcoides burtonii is a methylotrophic methanogenic archaeon first isolated from Ace Lake, Antarctica. Its type strain is DSM 6242.

Methanosarcina thermophila is a thermophilic, acetotrophic, methane-producing archaeon.

Methanomethylovorans thermophila is a species of thermophilic, methylotrophic methanogenic microbe. It is Gram-negative, and its type strain is L2FAWT. It was isolated from an anaerobic reactor in a laboratory. Its cells are Gram-negative, non-motile, and coccoid in form. It has been found to use methanol and methyl amines as substrates in the production of methane. It cannot use formiate, carbon dioxide with hydrogen, acetate, dimethyl sulfide, methanethiol, or propanol. As its name suggests, it is a thermophile, with an optimal growth temperature of 50 °C.

Clostridium paradoxum is a moderately thermophilic anaerobic alkaliphile bacteria. It is motile with 2-6 peritrichous flagella and forms round to slightly oval terminal spores. Its type strain is JW-YL-7.

Meiothermus timidus is a species of Deinococcus–Thermus yellow-pigmented bacteria. It was first isolated from the hot spring at São Pedro do Sul, in central Portugal, and at the island of Sao Miguel in the Azores. Its type strain is SPS-243T. The species was differentiated with the 16S rRNA gene sequence and biochemical characteristics.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Angelov, Angel; et al. (December 2010). "Genome Sequence of the Polysaccharide-Degrading, Thermophilic Anaerobe Spirochaeta thermophila DSM 6192". Journal of Bacteriology. 192 (24): 6492–6493. doi:10.1128/JB.01023-10. PMC   3008529 . PMID   20935097.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Bergquist, Peter L.; et al. (July 1998). "Molecular diversity of thermophilic cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic bacteria". Federation of European Microbiological Societies: Microbial Ecology. 28 (2): 99–110. doi: 10.1111/j.1574-6941.1999.tb00565.x .
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Aksenova, Helena Yu; et al. (January 1992). "Spirochaeta thermophila sp. nov., an Obligately Anaerobic, Polysaccharolytic, Extremely Thermophilic Bacterium". International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology. 42: 175–177. doi: 10.1099/00207713-42-1-175 .
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Janssen, Peter H.; Morgan, Hugh W. (April 1992). "Glucose Catabolism by Spirochaeta thermophila RI 19.B1". Journal of Bacteriology. 174 (8): 2449–2453. doi:10.1128/jb.174.8.2449-2453.1992. PMC   205880 . PMID   1556064.
  5. ↑ Hespell, Robert B. (1994). "Xylanolytic Activities of Spirochaeta thermophila". Current Microbiology. 29 (6): 343–347. doi:10.1007/BF01570227. S2CID   24239152.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Rominus, Ron (March 2001). "Sequencing, high-level expression and phylogeny of the pyrophosphate-dependent phosphofructokinase from the thermophilic spirochete Spirochaeta thermophila". Archives of Microbiology. 175 (4): 308–312. doi:10.1007/s002030100265. PMID   11382227. S2CID   13550205.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.