Bioprocessing Advantages for Extremely Thermophilic Hosts

Examination of metabolic pathways in extreme thermophiles has provided interesting insights into the necessary adaptations for life at high temperatures and possible explanations for the mechanisms used by early life. These pathways include enzymes not found in mesophiles and that can perform unique reactions which often bypass steps found in conventional pathways characterized in mesophilic organisms (e.g., [33]). These shortened metabolic pathways presumably compensate for changes in equilibrium or instability of intermediates at higher temperatures. Thus, these shortcuts may be of some use in construction of synthetic metabolic pathways. 

Thermophilic organisms are often found in environments that are not only characterized by high temperature but the chemical composition and nature of these environments can also be unusual. Since naturally thermal environments are a 

On the other end of the spectrum are chemicals that have a smaller market but have a much higher value compared to products such as ethanol. Many of these higher value compounds are target monomers for fibers and plastics. A current 

As the chemical industry turns more and more to biotechnological solutions for chemical and fuel production, the end goal is an optimization of the process to meet given economic criteria. Thus, extreme thermophiles must find then-niche on the basis of their intrinsic properties as hosts. While there are currently no known industrial products produced through the use of metabolically engineered extreme thermophiles, the attributes of these organisms make them excellent prospects for further development for future industrial use. 

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