Extremophile hyperthermophilic

Could it be the case that microorganisms, like the suspected fossils in the Mars meteorite ALH 84001, exist in the Martian soil This question leads to the counterquestion as to whether it has previously been possible to detect and study life (primitive life forms) under highly extreme conditions. Are there such conditions on Earth We now know quite a lot about extremophiles such as the thermophilic, halophilic and hyperthermophilic microorganisms. 

Escherichia coli (Niehaus, 1999). Whereas halophiles (Margesin, 2001) and piezo-philes (Abe, 2001) have attracted attention, the main aspect of interest for biotechnological application remains thermal stability, focusing interest on thermophiles or even hyperthermophiles. Increase in temperature has a significant influence on the bioavailability and solubility of organic compounds (not on the solubility of Oz, however, which is nearly zero at extremophilic temperatures ). Current applications of extremozymes include ... 

The once-obscure field of exploring potential uses of bacteria and their enzyme systems that thrive in hot or boiling water (extremophiles)—from geysers and sea bed vents in tectonically active areas—is another instance of nature generating practically valuable resources. The use of hyperthermophilic enzymes to speed the fermentation of ethanol from starch is a case in point.33... 

Jolivet, E., Corre, E., L Haridon, S., Forterre, P., and Prieur, D. 2004. Thermococcus marinus sp. nov. and Thermococcus radiotolerans sp. nov., two hyperthermophilic archaea from deep-sea hydrothermal vents that resist ionizing radiation. Extremophiles 8 219-227. 

It is revealing to contrast the adaptations noted in proteins and in lipids among the hyperthermophiles. Proteins of these extremophiles look surprisingly similar to those of mesophiles and psychrophiles. Proteins, as... 

A number of smaller enzyme-producing companies focus on thermophilic micro-organisms (and other extremophiles) to identify and produce new types of thermostable enzymes Unitika, Pacific Enzymes, Genis, Diversa (formerly Recombinant BioCatalysis), and others. One extremozyme that has already found commercial application is the heat-stable DNA polymerase from Thermus aquaticus (Taq-polymerase) that gave rise to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Using PCR, nucleic acids or segments of DNA can by amplified in vitro without having to replace the enzyme after each amplification cycle when the DNA template is denatured by heat. A number of new hyperthermophilic enzymes with temperature optima between 75 and 118°C have been described in the past few years [81], such as... 

Y.X., and She, Q. (2009) Unmarked gene deletion and host-vector system for the hyperthermophilic crenarchaeon Sulfolobus islandicus. Extremophiles,... 

Kostrildna, N.A., Chernyh, N.A., Lebedinsky, A.V., Stackebrandt, E., and Bonch-Osmolovskaya, E.A. (2004) The first evidence of anaerobic CO oxidation coupled with Hj production by a hyperthermophilic archaeon isolated from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent Extremophiles, 8, 317 -323. 

We thank the many collaborators and coauthors cited in the reference list, who contributed decisively to our knowledge on solutes from thermophiles and hyperthermophiles. This work was supported by the European Community Biotech Programme (Extremophiles as Cell Factories, BIO4-CT96-0488), and by PRAXIS XXI and FEDER, Portugal (PRAXIS/2/2.1/BIO/1109/95). 

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