Thermococcus kodakarensis
Classification
Higher order taxa
cellular organisms; Archaea; Euryarchaeota; Thermococci; Thermococcales; Thermococcaceae; Thermococcus
Genus
Thermococcus kodakarensis
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NCBI: Taxonomy |
Description and significance
Previously characterized as Pyrococcus sp., Thermococcus kodakarensis is a sulfur-reducing hyperthermophilic archaeon which typically inhabits marine hydrothermal vents and terrestrial hot sulfur springs. T. kodakarensis grows at an optimal temperature of 86C, between the ranges of 60-100C, and in a pH range of 5-9. In the absence of sulfur, these heterotrophs ferment a variety of organic compounds, including amino acids, peptides, and sugars. Recent accumulation of 16sRNA sequences has indicated the organism belongs to the Thermococcus genus, and not to the originally hypothesized Pyrococcus genus.
Thermococcus kodakarensis was isolated from a solfatara on Kodakara Island, Japan, and sequenced by the Kyoto University, Japan. This organism contains commercially applicable thermostable DNA polymerases and enzymes. In addition, becuase Thermococcus kodakarensis are ubiquitously present in natural high-temperature environments, it is considered to play a major role in the ecology and metabolic activity of microbial consortia within hot-water ecosystems.
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Genome structure
The Thermococcus kodakaraensis genome contains 2.09 Million base pairs (bp) and is predicted to have approximately 2357 genes. Seven genes for probable transposases and four virus-related regions are found within the genome.
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Cell structure and metabolism
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Ecology
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Pathology
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Application to Biotechnology
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Current Research
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References
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Edited by student of Rachel Larsen and Kit Pogliano
