Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 25, 2026

Adaptation at the Extremes of Life: Experimental Evolution with the Extremophile Archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius
Published on: June 14, 2024
The genome sequence of the extreme thermophile Thermus thermophilus
Anke Henne1, Holger Brüggemann, Carsten Raasch
1Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, University of Göttingen, Germany. ahenne@g2l.bio.uni-goettingen.de
Abstract:
Thermus thermophilus HB27 is an extremely thermophilic, halotolerant bacterium, which was originally isolated from a natural thermal environment in Japan. This organism has considerable biotechnological potential; many thermostable proteins isolated from members of the genus Thermus are indispensable in research and in industrial applications. We present here the complete genome sequence of T. thermophilus HB27, the first for the genus Thermus. The genome consists of a 1,894,877 base pair chromosome and a 232,605 base pair megaplasmid, designated pTT27. The 2,218 identified putative genes were compared to those of the closest relative sequenced so far, the mesophilic bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans. Both organisms share a similar set of proteins, although their genomes lack extensive synteny. Many new genes of potential interest for biotechnological applications were found in T. thermophilus HB27. Candidates include various proteases and key enzymes of other fundamental biological processes such as DNA replication, DNA repair and RNA maturation.
Related Concept Videos
Hyperthermophilic Bacteria
Diversity of Archaea I
Diversity of Archaea IV
Anoxygenic Phototrophic Bacteria
Diversity of Archaea III
Diversity of Archaea II

