Thermosphaera is a genus of the Desulfurococcaceae. They are a group of prokaryotic organisms which have been discovered in extremely hot environments such as sulfur springs, volcanoes, and magma pools. Isolates of Thermosphaera were first identified in 1998 from the Obsidian Pool in Yellowstone National Park.
| Thermosphaera | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Archaea |
| Kingdom: | Thermoproteati |
| Phylum: | Thermoproteota |
| Class: | Thermoprotei |
| Order: | Desulfurococcales |
| Family: | Desulfurococcaceae |
| Genus: | Thermosphaera Huber et al. 1998 |
| Type species | |
| Thermosphaera aggregans Huber et al. 1998 | |
| Species | |
| |
Phylogeny
editThe currently accepted taxonomy is based on the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN)[1] and National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).[2]
| 16S rRNA based LTP_07_2026[3][4][5] | 53 marker proteins based GTDB 11-RS232[6][7][8] | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Cell structure and metabolism
editCells of Thermosphaera are cocci (spherical) and form grape-like aggregates during the exponential growth phase. In the late exponential and stationary growth phases, smaller groups, including some single cells, were visible. Aggregates were shown to have several flagella; single cells could have as many as eight. The cell envelope is an amorphous layer covering a cytoplasmic membrane. Temperatures exceeding 92 °C inhibits growth, as does sulfur and hydrogen. Thermosphaera cells are heterotrophic, processing energy from yeast.
Ecology
editThermosphaera are found mainly in sulfuric pools, where they thrive on the extreme temperatures. In terms of research and economic significance, learning more about these organisms and their properties may help advancements in biotechnology.
Genome structure
editSequencing the 16S rRNA of Thermosphaera showed that this isolate was a member of the group Crenarchaeota and closely related to Staphylothermus and Desulfurococcus.[9]
See also
editReferences
edit- ↑ Thermosphaera in LPSN; Freese, H. M.; Meier-Kolthoff, J. P.; Sardà Carbasse, J.; Afolayan, A. O.; Göker, M. (29 October 2025). "TYGS and LPSN in 2025: a Global Core Biodata Resource for genome-based classification and nomenclature of prokaryotes within DSMZ Digital Diversity". Nucleic Acids Research. 53: D1–D12. doi:10.1093/nar/gkaf1110.
- ↑ C.L. Schoch. "Thermosphaera". National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) taxonomy database. Retrieved 2026-08-01.
- ↑ "The LTPlus". The All-Species Living Tree Project. Retrieved 1 August 2026.
- ↑ "LTP_all tree in newick format". The All-Species Living Tree Project. Retrieved 1 August 2026.
- ↑ Rossello-Mora, Ramon; Viver, Tomeu; Palmer-Rodríguez, Pere; Westram, Ralf; Bustos-Caparros, Esteban; Gago, Joan Francisco; Gonzalez-Mendez, Jaime; Llabrés, Mercè; Ludwig, Wolfgang; Amann, Rudolf (22 April 2026). "A pipeline for improved 16S rRNA gene-based phylogeny and diversity analyses of Bacteria and Archaea". Nature Portfolio. doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-9370187/v1.
- ↑ "GTDB release 11-RS232". Genome Taxonomy Database. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- ↑ "ar53_r232.sp_label". Genome Taxonomy Database. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- ↑ "Taxon History". Genome Taxonomy Database. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- ↑ See the NCBI webpage on Thermosphaera. Data extracted from the "NCBI taxonomy resources". National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved 2007-03-19.
Further reading
edit- Huber R; Dyba D; Huber H; Burggraf S; Rachel R (1998). "Sulfur-inhibited Thermosphaera aggregans sp. nov., a new genus of hyperthermophilic archaea isolated after its prediction from environmentally derived 16S rRNA sequences". Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 48: 31–38. doi:10.1099/00207713-48-1-31. PMID 9542073.
- Burggraf S; Huber H; Stetter KO (1997). "Reclassification of the crenarchael orders and families in accordance with 16S rRNA sequence data". Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 47 (3): 657–660. doi:10.1099/00207713-47-3-657. PMID 9226896.
- Huber R; Burggraf S; Mayer T; Barns SM; Rossnagel P; Stetter KO (1995). "Isolation of a hyperthermophilic archaeum predicted by in situ RNA analysis". Nature. 376 (6535): 57–58. Bibcode:1995Natur.376...57H. doi:10.1038/376057a0. PMID 7541115. S2CID 4335718.
- Zillig W; Stetter KO; Prangishvilli D; Schafer W; Wunderl S; Janekovic D; et al. (1982). "Desulfurococcaceae, the second family of the extremely thermophilic, anaerobic, sulfur-respiring Thermoproteales". Zentralbl. Bakteriol. Parasitenkd. Infektionskr. Hyg. Abt. 1 Orig. C3: 304–317.
 | This archaea-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |