Pyrococcus furiosus
| Pyrococcus furiosus | |
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| Pyrococcus furiosus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Archaea |
| Kingdom: | Euryarchaeota |
| Phylum: | Euryarchaeota |
| Class: | Thermococci |
| Order: | Thermococcales |
| Family: | Thermococcaceae |
| Genus: | Pyrococcus |
| Species: | P. furiosus |
| Binomial name | |
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Pyrococcus furiosus Erauso et al. 1993 |
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Pyrococcus furiosus is an extremophilic species of Archaea. It can be classified as a hyperthermophile because it thrives best under extremely high temperatures—higher than those preferred of a thermophile. It is notable for having an optimum growth temperature of 100 °C (a temperature that would destroy most living organisms), and for being one of the few organisms identified as possessing aldehyde ferredoxin oxidoreductase enzymes containing tungsten, an element rarely found in biological molecules.
The species was taken from the thermal marine sediments and studied by growing it in culture in a lab. Pyrococcus furiosus is noted for its rapid doubling time of 37 minutes under optimal conditions, meaning that every 37 minutes, the number of individual organisms is multiplied by 2, yielding an exponential growth curve. It appears as mostly regular cocci—meaning that it is roughly spherical—of 0.8 µm to 1.5 µm diameter with monopolar polytrichous flagellation. Each organism is surrounded by a cellular envelope composed of glycoprotein, distinguishing them from bacteria.
It grows between 70 °C (158 °F) and 103 °C (217 °F), with an optimum temperature of 100 °C (212 °F), and between pH 5 and 9 (with an optimum at pH 7). It grows well on yeast extract, maltose, cellobiose, β-glucans, starch, and protein sources (tryptone, peptone, casein, and meat extracts). This is a relatively wide range when compared to other archaea. Growth is very slow, or nonexistent, on amino acids, organic acids, alcohols, and most carbohydrates (including glucose, fructose, lactose, and galactose). The metabolic products of P. furiosus are CO2 and H2. The presence of hydrogen severely inhibits its growth and metabolism; this effect can be circumvented, however, by introducing sulfur into the organism's environment. In this case, H2S can be produced through its metabolic processes, although no energy seems to be derived from this series of reactions. Interesting to note is that, while many other hyperthermophiles depend on sulfur for growth, P. furiosus does not.
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