Aeropyrum pernix

Aeropyrum pernix is an extremophile species of Archaea that is part of the phylum Crenarchaeota. It is a heat-requiring species and was isolated from sediments in the sea off the coast of Japan.

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Discovery

Aeropyrum pernix was the first strictly aerobic hyperthermophilic archaea to be discovered. It was originally isolated aerobically from heated marine sediments and venting water collected in 1996 from a solfataric vent at Kodakara-jima Island in Kyusyu, Japan.^[1]

Genome structure

It's complete genome was sequenced in 1999 and is 1,669 kilobases in size, with 2,694 possible genes detected.^[2] All the genes in the TCA cycle were found except for that of α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase. In its place, the genes coding for the two subunits of 2-oxoacid:ferredoxin oxidoreductase were identified.

Properties

The cells of Aeropyrum pernix are spherical in shape and approximately 1 µm in diameter. The envelope surrounding the cells of Aeropyrum is about 25 nm wide. The organisms grows at temperature between 70 and 100ºC (optimum, 90 to 95ºC), at pH 5 to 9 (optimum, pH 7), and at a salinity of 1.8 to 7% (optimum, 3.5% salinity). The growth of the organisms is not detected at 68 or 102ºC. Below 1.5% salinity, cells lyse by low osmotic shock. The cells of the organisms are sensitive to chloramphenicol and insensitive to ampicillin, vancomycin, and cycloserine. It grows well on proteinaceous substances, with a doubling time under these conditions of about 200 minutes.^[1]

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