Thermotoga neapolitana

Thermotoga neapolitana
Scientific classification
Domain:	Bacteria
Phylum:	Thermotogae
Order:	Thermotogales
Family:	Thermotogaceae
Genus:	Thermotoga
Species:	T. neapolitana
Binomial name
Thermotoga neapolitana Huber et al., 1986

Thermotoga neapolitana is a hyperthermophilic organism that is a member of the order Thermotogales.

Thermotoga neapolitana was discovered in 1985 in Lucrino, Italy in a hotspring environment by Shimshon Belkin, Carl. O Wirsen, and Holger W. Jannasch of the University of California, Berkeley.

Thermotoga neapolitana is considered thermophilic with a livable temperature range of 50–95 °C. The optimum temperature was found to be 77 °C, making it nearly hyperthermophilic. There is also evidence that it could be found in saline environments, due to its ability to thrive in moderately halophilic environments.

Thermotoga neapolitana is a rod-shaped, Gram-negative bacterium. It is distinguishable by a thick periplasmic cell wall. Generally, they are found to be 0.2–5 μm, but they may reach sizes of up to 100 μm. It is non-sporulating - this along with its rod-shape and Gram-negative features are characteristic of the Order Thermotogales.

Using a guar-gum based medium, β-mannanase, β-mannosidase, α-galactosidase have been purified. These galactomannans are associated with allowing an organism to endure harsh environments (through stabilization of the membrane), such as high temperatures. These enzymes help provide simple saccharides to the organism. Polymers similar to those degraded by T. neopolitana are often used as storage polymers by plants. This may show that as the geothermal environments in which this organism is found have changed and biodiversified, so might the metabolism of this hyperthermophile.

Thermotoga neapolitana is strictly heterotrophic for its metabolic needs. It can also facultatively reduce elemental sulfur to hydrogen sulfide. In growth experiments, it was found to multiply rapidly with glucose and yeast abstract. After 24 hours of growth, the longest rods divide into two rods, most likely in response to decreases levels of glucose availability.Glucose, sucrose, lactose, and starch nutrients all support growth when used as a sole source of energy. Low level of growth occurred with exposure to only peptone or tryptone. Thermotoga neapolitana is unable to metabolize acetate, lactate, formate, pyruvate, propionate, mannitol, ethanol, methanol, glycerol, glutamate, or glycine.Chloramphenicol, vancomycin, streptomycin were all found to completely inhibit growth, though it was resistant to rifampin. Growth can be found within a 0.25-6% NaCl range exclusively, with no survival outside of this limit. It was originally thought to be strictly anaerobic, but can also survive under micro-aerophilic environments.

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