Aquifex aeolicus

Aquifex aeolicus is a rod-shaped bacterium with a length of 2 to 6 micrometers and a diameter of around half a micrometer. It is one of a handful of species in the Aquificae phylum, an unusual group of thermophilic bacteria that are thought to be some of the oldest species of bacteria.

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A. aeolicus grows best in water between 85 to 95 °C, and can be found near underwater volcanoes or hot springs. It requires oxygen to survive (though it can grow in levels of oxygen as low as 7.5 ppm), and its method of respiration produces water as a byproduct. ("Aquifex" means "water-maker.") Members of the species tend to form large cell conglomerations, comprised of up to 100 individual cells. It was discovered around islands north of Sicily.

The genome of A. aeolicus has been successfully mapped. This was made easier by the fact that the length of the genome is only about a third of the length of the genome for E. coli. Comparison of the Aquifex aeolicus genome to other organisms showed that around 16% of its genes originated from the Archaea domain.

External links and references

• Aquifex from Kenyon Biology
• Deckert, Gerard, et al. 1998. "The complete genome of the hyperthermophilic bacterium Aquifex aeolicus." Nature, Vol. 392. Macmillan Publishers. 353-358.
• Aquifex aeolicus VF5 Genome Page