Thermotoga maritima sp. nov. represents a new genus of unique extremely thermophilic eubacteria growing up to 90°C

A novel type of bacterium has been isolated from various geothermally heated locales on the sea floor. The organisms are strictly anaerobic, rod-shaped, fermentative, extremely thermophilic and grow between 55 and 90°C with an optimum of around 80°C. Cells show a unique sheath-like structure and monotrichous flagellation. By 16S rRNA sequencing they clearly belong to the eubacteria, although no close relationship to any known group could be detected. The majority of their lipids appear to be unique in structure among the eubacteria. Isolate MSB8 is described as Thermotoga maritima, representing the new genus Thermotoga.

[1]  M. Kessel,et al.  Identification and Comparison of Eighteen Archaebacteria by Means of the Diphtheria Toxin Reaction , 1982 .

[2]  H. König,et al.  Glycogen in thermoacidophilic archaebacteria of the genera Sulfolobus, Thermoproteus, Desulfurococcus and Thermococcus , 1982, Archives of Microbiology.

[3]  P. Doty,et al.  Determination of the base composition of deoxyribonucleic acid from its thermal denaturation temperature. , 1962, Journal of molecular biology.

[4]  H. Schaller,et al.  Affinity chromatography of DNA-binding enzymes on single-stranded DNA-agarose columns. , 1972, European journal of biochemistry.

[5]  G. Hazlewood,et al.  A new series of long-chain dicarboxylic acids with vicinal dimethyl branching found as major components of the lipids of Butyrivibrio spp. , 1979, The Biochemical journal.

[6]  W. Zillig,et al.  Thermoproteales: A novel type of extremely thermoacidophilic anaerobic archaebacteria isolated from Icelandic solfataras , 1981 .

[7]  R S Wolfe,et al.  New approach to the cultivation of methanogenic bacteria: 2-mercaptoethanesulfonic acid (HS-CoM)-dependent growth of Methanobacterium ruminantium in a pressureized atmosphere , 1976, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[8]  C. Woese,et al.  Methanogens: reevaluation of a unique biological group , 1979, Microbiological reviews.

[9]  S. Riva,et al.  Mechanism of action of a rifamycin derivative (AF-013) which is active on the nucleic acid polymerases insensitive to rifampicin. , 1972, Biochemical and biophysical research communications.

[10]  H. König,et al.  Methanococcus thermolithotrophicus, a novel thermophilic lithotrophic methanogen , 1982, Archives of Microbiology.

[11]  K. Schleifer,et al.  Zur chemischen Zusammensetzung der Zellwand der Streptokokken , 1967, Archiv für Mikrobiologie.

[12]  H. König,et al.  Emended description of Methanogenium thermophilicum, Rivard and Smith, and assignment of new isolates to this species , 1985 .

[13]  T. Tornabene,et al.  Lipids of Archaebacteria , 1982 .

[14]  R. Schnabel,et al.  CHAPTER 11 – DNA-Dependent RNA Polymerases of the Archaebacteria , 1985 .

[15]  Karl O. Stetter.  Extrem thermophile Bakterien , 1985, Naturwissenschaften.

[16]  P. Waibel,et al.  Procedure for determination of D-amino acids. , 1971, Analytical biochemistry.

[17]  K. Stetter.  Ultrathin mycelia-forming organisms from submarine volcanic areas having an optimum growth temperature of 105 °C , 1982, Nature.

[18]  W. J. Williams.  Handbook of anion determination , 1979 .

[19]  W. Zillig,et al.  The Sulfolobus-“Caldariella” group: Taxonomy on the basis of the structure of DNA-dependent RNA polymerases , 1980, Archives of Microbiology.

[20]  E. Stackebrandt,et al.  Pyrodictium gen. nov., a New Genus of Submarine Disc-Shaped Sulphur Reducing Archaebacteria Growing Optimally at 105°C. , 1983, Systematic and applied microbiology.

[21]  H. Bergmeyer.  Methoden der enzymatischen Analyse , 1962 .

[22]  K. Schleifer,et al.  Peptidoglycan types of bacterial cell walls and their taxonomic implications , 1972, Bacteriological reviews.

[23]  F. Eisenberg.  Gas chromatographic assay of iduronic and glucuronic acids as aldonic acid butaneboronates. , 1974, Analytical biochemistry.

[24]  W. Zillig,et al.  The Archaebacterium Thermococcus celer Represents, a Novel Genus within the Thermophilic Branch of the Archaebacteria. , 1983, Systematic and applied microbiology.

[25]  U. Sleytr,et al.  Crystalline surface layers on bacteria. , 1983, Annual review of microbiology.

[26]  J. Knabe.  Methoden der enzymatischen Analyse, 3. Auflage. Herausgeb. v. H. U. Bergmeyer, LXXXI, 2353 Seiten in 2 Bänden. Preis DM 460,–, Verlag Chemie, Weinheim/Bergstr., 1974 , 1974 .

[27]  Donald J. Nevins,et al.  A method for the analysis of sugars in plant cell-wall polysaccharides by gas-liquid chromatography , 1967 .

[28]  J. Zeikus,et al.  Iso- and Anteiso-Branched Glycerol Diethers of the Thermophilic Anaerobe Thermodesulfotobacterium commune. , 1983, Systematic and applied microbiology.

[29]  M. Mirault,et al.  Isolation of preribosomes from HeLa cells and their characterization by electrophoresis on uniform and exponential-gradient-polyacrylamide gels. , 1971, European journal of biochemistry.

[30]  E. Work,et al.  The Behavior of the Isomers of α,ε-Diaminopimelic Acid on Paper Chromatograms , 1955 .

[31]  D. McConnell,et al.  A procedure for the rapid purification of Escherichia coli deoxyribonucleic acid-dependent ribonucleic acid polymerase. , 1973, The Biochemical journal.

[32]  Harald Huber,et al.  Methanothermus fervidus, sp. nov., a novel extremely thermophilic methanogen isolated from an Icelandic hot spring , 1981 .

[33]  T. Langworthy,et al.  [52] Lipids of Thermoplasma , 1982 .

[34]  W. Doemel.  Thermophilic microorganisms and life at high temperatures: Thomas D. Brock. Springer series in microbiology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin—Heidelberg—New York, N.Y., 1978, 465 pp., DM 54.00/US $ 29.70 , 1980 .

[35]  U. K. Laemmli,et al.  Cleavage of structural proteins during , 1970 .

[36]  K. Stetter,et al.  Transcription in methanogens. Evidence for specific in vitro transcription of the purified DNA-dependent RNA polymerase of Methanococcus thermolithotrophicus. , 1985, European journal of biochemistry.

[37]  A. Harden.  Bacterial Metabolism , 1930, Nature.

[38]  W. Zillig,et al.  CHAPTER 2 – Thermoplasma and the Thermophilic Sulfur-Dependent Archaebacteria , 1985 .