Desulfurococcus mobilis
A Microbial Biorealm page on the genus Desulfurococcus mobilis
Classification
Domain: Archea; Class: Thermoprotei; Order: Desulfurococcales; Family: Desulfurococcaceae ; Genus: Desulfurococcus; species: mobilis.
Description and significance
Desulfurococcus mobilis is an extreme thermophile, living up to temperatures of 97° C and at a pH between 2.2 and 6.5. The species ranges in size from about 0.5 microns to 10 microns, and is covered with a unique, tetragonally-arrayed surface protein which forms a mesh of cross-shaped units. It is an anaerobe and is dependent upon sulfur for respiration. D. mobilis is found in solfataric (volcanic and sulfur emitting) hot springs and is most commonly isolated under these conditions in the country of Iceland. Its ability to survive in extreme conditions makes this archaeon valuable for uses in biotechnology, since thermostable and thermoactive enzymes can be isolated from this organism, like the restriction enzyme I-Dmol. Interestingly, the first known prokaryotic rRNA intron was discovered in D. mobilis, helping to give insights on the evolutionary relationship between archaea, bacteria and eukaryotes. Further, this organism is not a known pathogen.
Genome structure
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Cell structure, metabolism & life cycle
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Ecology (including pathogenesis)
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Interesting feature
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