James A. Counts, Benjamin Zeldes, Laura L. Lee, Christopher T. Straub, M. Adams, R. M. Kelly
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引用次数: 29
Abstract
The current upper thermal limit for life as we know it is approximately 120°C. Microorganisms that grow optimally at temperatures of 75°C and above are usually referred to as ‘extreme thermophiles’ and include both bacteria and archaea. For over a century, there has been great scientific curiosity in the basic tenets that support life in thermal biotopes on earth and potentially on other solar bodies. Extreme thermophiles can be aerobes, anaerobes, autotrophs, heterotrophs, or chemolithotrophs, and are found in diverse environments including shallow marine fissures, deep sea hydrothermal vents, terrestrial hot springs—basically, anywhere there is hot water. Initial efforts to study extreme thermophiles faced challenges with their isolation from difficult to access locales, problems with their cultivation in laboratories, and lack of molecular tools. Fortunately, because of their relatively small genomes, many extreme thermophiles were among the first organisms to be sequenced, thereby opening up the application of systems biology‐based methods to probe their unique physiological, metabolic and biotechnological features. The bacterial genera Caldicellulosiruptor, Thermotoga and Thermus, and the archaea belonging to the orders Thermococcales and Sulfolobales, are among the most studied extreme thermophiles to date. The recent emergence of genetic tools for many of these organisms provides the opportunity to move beyond basic discovery and manipulation to biotechnologically relevant applications of metabolic engineering. WIREs Syst Biol Med 2017, 9:e1377. doi: 10.1002/wsbm.1377
期刊介绍:
Journal Name:Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews-Systems Biology and Medicine
Focus:
Strong interdisciplinary focus
Serves as an encyclopedic reference for systems biology research
Conceptual Framework:
Systems biology asserts the study of organisms as hierarchical systems or networks
Individual biological components interact in complex ways within these systems
Article Coverage:
Discusses biology, methods, and models
Spans systems from a few molecules to whole species
Topical Coverage:
Developmental Biology
Physiology
Biological Mechanisms
Models of Systems, Properties, and Processes
Laboratory Methods and Technologies
Translational, Genomic, and Systems Medicine