| Sulfolobaceae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Sulfolobus | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Archaea |
| Kingdom: | Proteoarchaeota |
| Superphylum: | TACK group |
| Phylum: | Thermoproteota |
| Class: | Thermoprotei |
| Order: | Sulfolobales |
| Family: | Sulfolobaceae Stetter 1989 |
| Genera | |
Sulfolobaceae are a family of the Sulfolobales belonging to the domain Archaea. The family consists of several genera adapted to survive environmental niches with extreme temperature and low pH conditions. [1]
Sulfolobaceae species are thermophiles, commonly found in hot springs, hydrothermal vents, mudpots, and volcanically active regions, with Sulfolobus genus found almost anywhere with volcanic activity. Sulfolobaceae are found in temperatures ranging from 40 to 95 °C. They are found in pH levels between 1 and 6 which makes specific species acidophiles. Certain species, like Metallosphaera prunae, have been found living on smoldering waste material from mines by utilizing a lithoautotrophic metabolism. [2]
Sulfolobaceae are involved in biofilm formation. Analysis of biofilms produced by different species has shown very few regulating proteins in common between these species, thus indicating that multiple different regulatory mechanisms for biofilm formation may exist. Sulfolobus acidocaldarius has been observed forming tower-like biofilm structures and Sulfolobus solfataricus has been observed forming carpet-like biofilms. [3]
Sulfolobaceae species exhibit a diverse range of metabolisms including aerobic, facultative anaerobic, or obligate anaerobic with chemoheterotrophic, lithoautotrophic, or mixotrophic lifestyles. Some species exhibit metabolic flexibility, being able to use several different metabolic pathways depending on the available energy sources, while others have a narrow range of metabolic options. [4]
Chemoheterotrophic Sulfolobaceae gain their energy by oxidizing reduced organic carbon compounds, including D-glucose, D-galactose, other common sugars, amino acids, and other complex molecules, using oxidized forms of sulfur. Lithoautotrophic metabolism, on the other hand, involves gaining energy from the oxidation of reduced compounds such as elemental sulfur, sulfur ores, and other reduced sulfur compounds, or molecular hydrogen.
Sulfolobaceae prefer low sodium chloride environments, with the exception of the Acidianus genus. Glycogen is used as long-term carbon and energy storage.
Sulfolobaceae species have regular, irregular, or lobed cocci cell shapes. Their size falls between 0.5 and 2 μm in diameter. Several different surface appendages have been observed, including archaella in motile species, typically expressed upon starvation. [5]
Unique to Sulfolobus acidocaldarious are the archaeal adhesive pili which are important for surface attachment in biofilm formation. [6] Archaeal type IV pilin surface appendage expression occurs through a dedicated type IV prepilin signal peptidase before filaments can be assembled. A sugar-binding surface structure termed bindosome has been found in Sulfolobus solfataricus. When assembled into a dedicated bindosome assembly system they are active in the transport of sugars. [7]
Proteinaceous toxins termed sulfolobicins, have been produced by certain strains of Sulfolobus islandicus. These toxins may provide a competitive advantage, as they inhibit the growth of non-toxin producing strains of S. islandicus and certain other Sulfolobus species. Other species, such as Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, are not inhibited. The gene encoding for sulfolobicins have been identified in other Sulfolobus species. [8]
The currently accepted taxonomy is based on the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN) [9] and National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) [1]
| 16S rRNA based LTP_06_2022 [10] [11] [12] | 53 marker proteins based GTDB 08-RS214 [13] [14] [15] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Thermoproteota are prokaryotes that have been classified as a phylum of the Archaea domain. Initially, the Thermoproteota were thought to be sulfur-dependent extremophiles but recent studies have identified characteristic Thermoproteota environmental rRNA indicating the organisms may be the most abundant archaea in the marine environment. Originally, they were separated from the other archaea based on rRNA sequences; other physiological features, such as lack of histones, have supported this division, although some crenarchaea were found to have histones. Until recently all cultured Thermoproteota had been thermophilic or hyperthermophilic organisms, some of which have the ability to grow at up to 113 °C. These organisms stain Gram negative and are morphologically diverse, having rod, cocci, filamentous and oddly-shaped cells.
Sulfolobus is a genus of microorganism in the family Sulfolobaceae. It belongs to the archaea domain.
Halobacteriales are an order of the Halobacteria, found in water saturated or nearly saturated with salt. They are also called halophiles, though this name is also used for other organisms which live in somewhat less concentrated salt water. They are common in most environments where large amounts of salt, moisture, and organic material are available. Large blooms appear reddish, from the pigment bacteriorhodopsin. This pigment is used to absorb light, which provides energy to create ATP. Halobacteria also possess a second pigment, halorhodopsin, which pumps in chloride ions in response to photons, creating a voltage gradient and assisting in the production of energy from light. The process is unrelated to other forms of photosynthesis involving electron transport; however, and halobacteria are incapable of fixing carbon from carbon dioxide.
Methanococcus is a genus of coccoid methanogens of the family Methanococcaceae. They are all mesophiles, except the thermophilic M. thermolithotrophicus and the hyperthermophilic M. jannaschii. The latter was discovered at the base of a “white smoker” chimney at 21°N on the East Pacific Rise and it was the first archaeal genome to be completely sequenced, revealing many novel and eukaryote-like elements.
Methanobacteriales is an order of archaeans in the class Methanobacteria. Species within this order differ from other methanogens in that they can use fewer catabolic substrates and have distinct morphological characteristics, lipid compositions, and RNA sequences. Their cell walls are composed of pseudomurein. Most species are Gram-positive with rod-shaped bodies and some can form long filaments. Most of them use formate to reduce carbon dioxide, but those of the genus Methanosphaera use hydrogen to reduce methanol to methane.
In taxonomy, the Methanococcales are an order of the Methanococci.
In the taxonomy of microorganisms, the Methanomicrobiales are an order of the Methanomicrobia. Methanomicrobiales are strictly carbon dioxide reducing methanogens, using hydrogen or formate as the reducing agent. As seen from the phylogenetic tree based on 'The All-Species Living Tree' Project the family Methanomicrobiaceae is highly polyphyletic within the Methanomicrobiales.
Sulfolobales is an order of archaeans in the class Thermoprotei.
In taxonomy, the Methanocaldococcaceae are a family of microbes within the order Methanococcales. It contains two genera, the type genus Methanocaldococcus and Methanotorris. These species are coccoid in form, neutrophilic to slightly acidophilic, and predominantly motile, and they have a very short generation period, from 25 to 45 minutes under optimal conditions. They produce energy exclusively through the reduction of carbon dioxide with hydrogen. Some species have been found in marine hydrothermal vents.
Methanomicrobiaceae are a family of archaea in the order the Methanomicrobiales.
In taxonomy, the Thermococcaceae are a family of the Thermococcales. Almost all species within the three genera of Thermococcaceae were isolated from hydrothermal vents in the ocean. All are strictly anaerobes.
Pyrobaculum is a genus of the Thermoproteaceae.
In taxonomy, Acidianus is a genus of the Sulfolobaceae.
In taxonomy, Metallosphaera is a genus of the Sulfolobaceae.
Sulfurisphaera is a genus of the Sulfolobaceae.
Archaeocin is the name given to a new type of potentially useful antibiotic that is derived from the Archaea group of organisms. Eight archaeocins have been partially or fully characterized, but hundreds of archaeocins are believed to exist, especially within the haloarchaea. Production of these archaeal proteinaceous antimicrobials is a nearly universal feature of the rod-shaped haloarchaea.
Saccharolobus solfataricus is a species of thermophilic archaeon. It was transferred from the genus Sulfolobus to the new genus Saccharolobus with the description of Saccharolobus caldissimus in 2018.
Sulfolobus acidocaldarius is a thermoacidophilic archaeon that belongs to the phylum Thermoproteota. S. acidocaldarius was the first Sulfolobus species to be described, in 1972 by Thomas D. Brock and collaborators. This species was found to grow optimally between 75 and 80 °C, with pH optimum in the range of 2-3.
Metallosphaera hakonensis is a gram-negative, thermoacidophilic archaea discovered in the hot springs of Hakone National Park, Kanagawa, Japan.