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Two contrary modes of chemolithotrophy in the same archaebacterium
Nature
|February 6, 1985
Summary
Extremely thermophilic archaebacteria can switch between aerobic sulfur oxidation and anaerobic sulfur reduction, depending on oxygen availability. This adaptability suggests these organisms may be ancient precursors to modern sulfur-oxidizing archaea.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Extremophile Research
- Archaea Biology
Background:
- Sulphur-dependent archaebacteria are found in extreme environments like solfataric springs.
- Two main groups exist: aerobic Sulfolobales and anaerobic Thermoproteales.
Purpose of the Study:
- To isolate and characterize thermophilic archaebacteria with flexible metabolic capabilities.
- To investigate the adaptability of sulfur metabolism in archaea based on oxygen availability.
Main Methods:
- Isolation of novel extremophilic archaebacteria from continental solfataric springs.
- Cultivation experiments under varying oxygen conditions (aerobic vs. anaerobic).
- Comparative analysis with known species like Sulfolobus brierleyi.
Main Results:
- Isolation of archaebacteria capable of both aerobic sulfur oxidation and anaerobic sulfur reduction.
- Demonstration that Sulfolobus brierleyi also possesses this dual metabolic ability.
- Hypothesis that a genome expression switch underlies this metabolic flexibility.
Conclusions:
- These adaptable organisms may represent primitive ancestors of sulfur-oxidizing archaebacteria.
- Metabolic flexibility in sulfur utilization (oxidation/reduction) is a key survival strategy.
- Potential evolutionary link between anaerobic and aerobic sulfur metabolism in archaea.