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Updated: May 16, 2026

Adaptation at the Extremes of Life: Experimental Evolution with the Extremophile Archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius
Published on: June 14, 2024
Pyrodictium gen. nov., a New Genus of Submarine Disc-Shaped Sulphur Reducing Archaebacteria Growing Optimally at
K O Stetter1, H König, E Stackebrandt
1Lehrstuhl für Mikrobiologie der Techn. Universität München, 8000 München, Federal Republic of Germany.
Abstract:
Six isolates of a new genus of anaerobic archaebacteria, named Pyrodictium, were isolated from a submarine solfataric field off Vulcano, Italy. These disc-shaped organisms grew at at least 110°C with an optimum around 105°C, and formed highly unusual networks of fibres. They were hydrogen-sulphur-autotrops. During growth in a fermenter, pyrite was formed. Two species can be distinguished: Pyrodictium occultum - which has a G + C-content of 62 mol%, and, as the dominant component in its cell envelope, a glycoprotein with a molecular weight of 172000 - and Pyrodictium brockii - which has a G + C-content of 51.5 to 56.6 mol%, a protein of molecular weight 150000 as its major cell envelope component, and whose growth yield is greatly increased in the presence of yeast extract.
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