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Hyperthermophilic Archaea (hyperthermophilic + archaea)
Selected AbstractsCatalyzing "Hot" Reactions: Enzymes from Hyperthermophilic ArchaeaTHE CHEMICAL RECORD, Issue 3 2002Tadayuki Imanaka Abstract We reflect on some of our studies on the hyperthermophilic archaeon, Thermococcus kodakaraensis KOD1 and its enzymes. The strain can grow at temperatures up to the boiling point and also represents one of the simplest forms of life. As expected, all enzymes displayed remarkable thermostability, and we have determined some of the basic principles that govern this feature. To our delight, many of the enzymes exhibited unique biochemical properties and novel structures not found in mesophilic proteins. Here, we focus on a few enzymes that are useful in application, and whose three-dimensional structures are characteristic of thermostable enzymes. © 2002 The Japan Chemical Journal Forum and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Chem Rec 2: 149,163, 2002: Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com) DOI 10.1002/tcr.10023 [source] Development of a genetic system for hyperthermophilic Archaea: expression of a moderate thermophilic bacterial alcohol dehydrogenase gene in Sulfolobus solfataricusFEMS MICROBIOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 1 2003P Contursi Abstract The Escherichia coli/Sulfolobus solfataricus shuttle vector pEXSs was used as a cloning vehicle for the gene transfer and expression of two bacterial genes in Sulfolobus solfataricus. The alcohol dehydrogenase (adh) from the moderate thermophilic Bacillus stearothermophilus (strain LLDR) and a mutagenised version encoding a less thermostable ADH enzyme were the selected genes. S. solfataricus adh promoter and aspartate aminotransferase terminator were used to drive the heterologous gene expression and to guarantee the correct termination of the transcripts, respectively. The constructed vectors were found to be able to carry these ,passenger' genes without undergoing any rearrangements. The active transcription of bacillar mRNAs was ascertained in vivo by RT-PCR. Transformed S. solfataricus expressed functional exogenous ADHs that showed unaffected kinetic and chemical,physical features. [source] Energetics of overall metabolic reactions of thermophilic and hyperthermophilic Archaea and BacteriaFEMS MICROBIOLOGY REVIEWS, Issue 2 2001Jan P. Amend Abstract Thermophilic and hyperthermophilic Archaea and Bacteria have been isolated from marine hydrothermal systems, heated sediments, continental solfataras, hot springs, water heaters, and industrial waste. They catalyze a tremendous array of widely varying metabolic processes. As determined in the laboratory, electron donors in thermophilic and hyperthermophilic microbial redox reactions include H2, Fe2+, H2S, S, S2O32,, S4O62,, sulfide minerals, CH4, various mono-, di-, and hydroxy-carboxylic acids, alcohols, amino acids, and complex organic substrates; electron acceptors include O2, Fe3+, CO2, CO, NO3,, NO2,, NO, N2O, SO42,, SO32,, S2O32,, and S. Although many assimilatory and dissimilatory metabolic reactions have been identified for these groups of microorganisms, little attention has been paid to the energetics of these reactions. In this review, standard molal Gibbs free energies (,Gr°) as a function of temperature to 200°C are tabulated for 370 organic and inorganic redox, disproportionation, dissociation, hydrolysis, and solubility reactions directly or indirectly involved in microbial metabolism. To calculate values of ,Gr° for these and countless other reactions, the apparent standard molal Gibbs free energies of formation (,G°) at temperatures to 200°C are given for 307 solids, liquids, gases, and aqueous solutes. It is shown that values of ,Gr° for many microbially mediated reactions are highly temperature dependent, and that adopting values determined at 25°C for systems at elevated temperatures introduces significant and unnecessary errors. The metabolic processes considered here involve compounds that belong to the following chemical systems: H,O, H,O,N, H,O,S, H,O,N,S, H,O,Cinorganic, H,O,C, H,O,N,C, H,O,S,C, H,O,N,S,Camino acids, H,O,S,C,metals/minerals, and H,O,P. For four metabolic reactions of particular interest in thermophily and hyperthermophily (knallgas reaction, anaerobic sulfur and nitrate reduction, and autotrophic methanogenesis), values of the overall Gibbs free energy (,Gr) as a function of temperature are calculated for a wide range of chemical compositions likely to be present in near-surface and deep hydrothermal and geothermal systems. [source] Visualization of the interaction between archaeal DNA polymerase and uracil-containing DNA by atomic force microscopyGENES TO CELLS, Issue 1 2006Yasuo Asami Deamination of cytosine to uracil is a hydrolytic reaction that is greatly accelerated at high temperatures. The resulting uracil pairs with adenine during DNA replication, thereby inducing G:C to A:T transitions in the progeny. Interestingly, B-family DNA polymerases from hyperthermophilic Archaea recognize the presence of uracil in DNA and stall DNA synthesis. To better understand the recognition mechanism, the binding modes of DNA polymerase B1 of Sulfolobus solfataricus (Pol B1) to uracil-containing DNA were examined by gel mobility shift assays and atomic force microscopy. Although PolB1 per se specifically binds to uracil-containing single-stranded DNA, the binding efficiency was substantially enhanced by the initiation of DNA synthesis. Analysis by the atomic force microscopy showed a number of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) in the products of DNA synthesis. The generation of ds DNA was significantly inhibited, however, by the presence of template uracil, and intermediates where monomeric forms of Pol B1 appeared to bind to uracil-containing DNA were observed. These results suggest that Pol B1 more efficiently recognizes uracil in DNA during DNA synthesis rather than during random diffusion in solution, and that single molecules of Pol B1 bind to template uracil and stall DNA synthesis. [source] New insertion sequences of Sulfolobus: functional properties and implications for genome evolution in hyperthermophilic archaeaMOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2005Zachary D. Blount Summary Analyses of complete genomes indicate that insertion sequences (ISs) are abundant and widespread in hyperthermophilic archaea, but few experimental studies have measured their activities in these hosts. As a way to investigate the impact of ISs on Sulfolobus genomes, we identified seven transpositionally active ISs in a widely distributed Sulfolobus species, and measured their functional properties. Six of the seven were found to be distinct from previously described ISs of Sulfolobus, and one of the six could not be assigned to any known IS family. A type II ,Miniature Inverted-repeat Transposable Element' (MITE) related to one of the ISs was also recovered. Rates of transposition of the different ISs into the pyrEF region of their host strains varied over a 250-fold range. The Sulfolobus ISs also differed with respect to target-site selectivity, although several shared an apparent preference for the pyrEF promoter region. Despite the number of distinct ISs assayed and their molecular diversity, only one demonstrated precise excision from the chromosomal target region. The fact that this IS is the only one lacking inverted repeats and target-site duplication suggests that the observed precise excision may be promoted by the IS itself. Sequence searches revealed previously unidentified partial copies of the newly identified ISs in the Sulfolobus tokodaii and Sulfolobus solfataricus genomes. The structures of these fragmentary copies suggest several distinct molecular mechanisms which, in the absence of precise excision, inactivate ISs and gradually eliminate the defective copies from Sulfolobus genomes. [source] Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of protein 14 from Sulfolobus islandicus filamentous virus (SIFV)ACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION F (ELECTRONIC), Issue 9 2006Adeline Goulet A large-scale programme has been embarked upon aiming towards the structural determination of conserved proteins from viruses infecting hyperthermophilic archaea. Here, the crystallization of protein 14 from the archaeal virus SIFV is reported. This protein, which contains 111 residues (MW 13,465,Da), was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli with an N-terminal His6 tag and purified to homogeneity. The tag was subsequently cleaved and the protein was crystallized using PEG 1000 or PEG 4000 as a precipitant. Large crystals were obtained of the native and the selenomethionine-labelled protein using sitting drops of 100,300,nl. Crystals belong to space group P6222 or P6422, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 68.1, c = 132.4,Å. Diffraction data were collected to a maximum acceptable resolution of 2.95 and 3.20,Å for the SeMet-labelled and native protein, respectively. [source] | |||||||||||||