Sulfolobus solfataricus

Classification

Domain; Phylum; Class; Order; family [Others may be used. Use NCBI link to find]

Species

NCBI: Taxonomy

Sulfolobus solfataricus

Description and Significance

Describe the appearance, habitat, etc. of the organism, and why you think it is important.

Genome Structure

Describe the size and content of the genome. How many chromosomes? Circular or linear? Other interesting features? What is known about its sequence?

Cell Structure, Metabolism and Life Cycle

Interesting features of cell structure; how it gains energy; what important molecules it produces.

Ecology and Pathogenesis

The red of these rocks found near Naples, Italy is created by S. solfataricus colonization. Image courtesy of Science@NASA (1998).

Sulfolobus solfataricus is a thermoacidophile, and was first characterized in sulfur-rich volcanic springs in Yellowstone National Park. Strains of S. solfataricus have also been found in hot mud pools in the Solfatara crater north of Naples, Italy. It has also been discovered in El Salvador and the Dominica. While the optimum temperature for growth is ≈75^oC, S. solfataricus can live in a range of 55-90^oC. It can live in a pH range of 0.9-5.8, with its optimum being 2-3. However, S. solfataricus maintains its cytoplasmic pH at 6.5. It has also been shown that S. solfataricus requires an aerobic environment, in which it exists as a free-living sulfur chemolithotroph.

Fusellovirus SSV1. Courtesy of Prangishivili, Stedman, Zillig (2001). Scale bar = 200nm

Strains of S. solfataricus are known to harbor plasmids that encourage bacteria-like conjugation between cells. However, the genes behind these mechanisms are dissimilar between S. solfataricus and bacteria.

S. solfataricus can be infected by morphologically unusual viruses, such as SSV1 (Sulfolobus spindle-shaped virus). The virions formed by SSV1 often cluster together, forming rosette-like shapes. These viruses have been found in Yellowstone National Park, Iceland, and Japan.

References

[Sample reference] Takai, K., Sugai, A., Itoh, T., and Horikoshi, K. "Palaeococcus ferrophilus gen. nov., sp. nov., a barophilic, hyperthermophilic archaeon from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent chimney". International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 2000. Volume 50. p. 489-500.

Author

Page authored by Alvin Makohon-Moore and Antoni Malachowski, students of Prof. Jay Lennon at Michigan State University.