Rubrobacter xylanophilus | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Bacteria |
Phylum: | Actinobacteria |
Class: | Actinobacteria |
Subclass: | Rubrobacteridae |
Order: | Rubrobacterales |
Family: | Rubrobacteraceae |
Genus: | Rubrobacter |
Species: | R. xylanophilus |
Binomial name | |
Rubrobacter xylanophilus Carreto et al. 1996 |
Rubrobacter xylanophilus is a thermophilic species of bacteria. It is slightly halotolerant, short rod- and coccus-shaped and gram-positive, with type strain PRD-1T. It is the only true radiation resistant thermopile. It can degrade xylan and hemicellulose. The first strain of the genus Rubrobacter was isolated from gamma-irradiated hot spring water samples by Yoshinaka. This organism was found to be extremely gamma-radiation resistant, with a higher shoulder dose than the canonical radiation resistant species of the genus Deinococcus. The organism stained Gram-positive and was slightly thermophilic with an optimum growth temperature of about 45°C.