Carboxydothermus hydrogenoformans

A Microbial Biorealm page on the genus Carboxydothermus hydrogenoformans

Classification

Higher order taxa

Domain: Bacteria

Phylum: Firmicutes

Class: Clostridia

Order: Clostridiales

Family: Peptococcaceae

Species

NCBI: Taxonomy

Carboxydothermus hydrogenoformans

Description and significance

C. hydrogenoformans are aquatic bacterium that live in freshwater environments and experience optimal growth at temperatures around 78 degrees celcius. This bacterium is unique and important because it lives at very high temperatures (thermophile), grows very rapidly in highly carbon monoxide aquatic environments, lives entirely off of carbon monoxide and also converts water to hydrogen through the oxidation of carbon monoxide to form carbon dioxide. The formation of hydrogen is very important because hydrogen is considered to be a potential biofuel in the near future.

The bacterium was first isolated from freshwater hot springs on the volcanic Russion island of Kunashir.

Genome structure

The genome of C. hydrogenoformans is a single circular chromosome that consists of 2,401,892 base pairs. This bacterium also contains between 2600 to 2700 protein coding genes.

C. hydrogenoformans is very unique in that it has genes that code for five distinct and different carbon monoxide dehydrogenase complexes. This compared to one complex found on similar bacteria that grow in carbon monoxide environments may be the reason why C. hydrogenoformans grows so much more quickly.

Furthermore, the sequencing and thereafter analysis of the genome of the bacteria has shown to include genes for producing spores. Yet C. hydrogenoformans appears to lack many genes for spore production that other bacteria contain, which means that this bacterium could serve as a model for the study of minimal sporulation.

C. hydrogenformans has no plasmids.

Cell structure and metabolism

Describe any interesting features and/or cell structures; how it gains energy; what important molecules it produces.

Ecology

Describe any interactions with other organisms (included eukaryotes), contributions to the environment, effect on environment, etc.

Pathology

How does this organism cause disease? Human, animal, plant hosts? Virulence factors, as well as patient symptoms.

Application to Biotechnology

Does this organism produce any useful compounds or enzymes? What are they and how are they used?

Current Research

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References

[1]Wu M., Ren Q., Durkin A.S., Daugherty S.C., Brinkac L.M., Dodson R.J., Madupu R., Sullivan S.A., Kolonay J.F., Nelson W.C., Tallon L.J., Jones K.M., Ulrich L.E., Gonzalez J.M., Zhulin I.B., Robb F.T., Eisen J.A. ; "Life in hot carbon monoxide: the complete genome sequence of Carboxydothermus hydrogenoformans Z-2901.";PLoS Genet. 1:563-574(2005).

[2] Henstra AM, Stams AJ. Novel physiological features of Carboxydothermus hydrogenoformans and Thermoterrabacterium ferrireducens. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2004;70:7236–7240.

Edited by David Chung; student of Rachel Larsen and Kit Pogliano