Thermococci
Thermococcus gammatolerans
Scientific classification
Domain:
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Thermococci

Zillig and Reysenbach 2002
Order
Synonyms
  • "Methanofastidiosia" corrig. Nobu et al. 2016
  • Protoarchaea Cavalier-Smith 2002
  • "Thermococcia" Oren, Parte & Garrity 2016
Schematic diagram of the Thermococcus gammatolerans cell pictured above.

In taxonomy, the Thermococci are a class of microbes within the Euryarchaeota.[1]

They live in extremely hot environments, such as hydrothermal vents, and they have optimal growth temperatures above 80 °C. Thermococcus and Pyrococcus (literally "balls of fire") are both obligately anaerobic chemoorganotrophs.

Thermococcus prefers 70–95 °C and Pyrococcus 70-100 °C. Palaeococcus helgesonii, recently discovered in the Tyrrhenian Sea, is an aerobic chemoheterotrophic that grows at temperatures of 45–85 °C with an optimal temperature of 80 °C. Thermococcus gammatolerans sp. nov. was recently discovered in the Guaymas Basin, and it grows at temperatures from 55–95 °C with an optimal temperaturearound 88 °C with an optimal pH of 6. It has pronounced radioresistance and can survive gamma radiation at 30 kGy.[2]

Thermococcus grows on organic substrates where there is a higher capacity of elemental sulfur. This archaeon mostly grows between temperatures 60–100 degrees Celsius. The average temperature where they thrive is around 85 degrees Celcius.

The DNA structure has a cicular genome with around 2,353 coding sequence, and 2,306 are identified.

See also

References

  1. See the NCBI webpage on Thermococci. Data extracted from the "NCBI taxonomy resources". National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved 2007-03-19.
  2. "Airspade". Retrieved 13 June 2023.

Further reading


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