View source for Staphylothermus

{{Short description|Genus of archaea}}
{{use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Taxobox
| domain = [[Archaea]]
| phylum = [[Thermoproteota]]
| classis = [[Thermoprotei]]
| ordo = [[Desulfurococcales]]
| familia = [[Desulfurococcaceae]]
| genus = '''''Staphylothermus'''''
| genus_authority = Stetter & Fiala 1986
| type_species = ''Staphylothermus marinus''
| type_species_authority = Stetter & Fiala 1986
| subdivision_ranks = [[Species (biology)|Species]]
| subdivision = 
* ''S. hellenicus''
* ''S. marinus''
}}
In taxonomy, '''''Staphylothermus''''' is a genus of the [[Desulfurococcaceae]].<ref>See the NCBI webpage on Staphylothermus. Data extracted from the "NCBI taxonomy resources". National Center for Biotechnology Information. ftp://ftp.ncbi.nih.gov/pub/taxonomy/. Retrieved 2007-03-19.</ref>

==Taxonomy==
Desulfurococcaceae are [[anaerobic organism|anaerobic]], sulfur respiring, extreme [[thermophiles]]. Desulfurococcaceae share the same family as [[Desulfurococcus]]. Two species of ''Staphylothermus'' have been identified: ''S. marinus'' and ''S. hellenicus''. They are both [[heterotrophic]], anaerobic members of the domain Archea.

==Cell structure==
''Staphylothermus marinus'' has a unique [[Morphology (biology)|morphology]]. When nutrient levels are low, it forms grape-like clusters that range in diameter from 0.5–1.0&nbsp;mm up to 100 clusters large. At high nutrient levels, large clustered cells up to 15&nbsp;μm in diameter are found. The S-layer is made of a glycoprotein called tetrabrachion. Tetrabrachion is stable at high temperatures and resistant to chemicals that typically denature proteins. Tetrabrachion is built from 92,000 kDa [[polypeptides]] forming projections that react with other tetrabrachion sub units making a lattice framework that covers the cell.<ref name=:07/> Tetrabrachion is resistant to heat and chemical denaturation.<ref name=:11/> ''S. marinus'' has a circular [[chromosome]] with 1,610 protein-coding genes and 49 RNA genes. ''Staphylothermus hellenicus'' does not have tetrabrachion in the [[cell wall]]. It is an aggregated coccus, obligate anaerobe, heterotrophic, archeon that grows 0.8–1.3&nbsp;μm in diameter. It forms large aggregates with up to 50 cells and has a circular chromosome that contains 158,0347 nucleotides, 1,599 protein-coding genes and 50 [[RNA]] genes.

==Metabolism==
''Staphylothermus marinus'' and ''Staphylothermus hellenicus'' have special [[enzymes]] called extremozymes known to work well in extremely hot or cold environments where most enzymatic reactions could not occur.<ref name=:09/> ''Staphylothermus marinus'' and ''Staphylothermus hellenecus'' are thermophiles that have heat stable [[extremozyme]]s that work at particularly high temperatures. Both organisms are sulfur dependent, extreme marine thermophiles. These archeons require sulfur for growth but can produce hydrogen if sulfur becomes limited. Staphylothermus marinus converts sulfur to [[hydrogen sulfide]] using these extremozymes. [[Hydrogen sulfide]] is then released as a waste product. ''Staphylothermus marinus'' contains large protein complexes that are involved in sulfur reduction. ''Staphylothermus marinus'' and ''Staphylothermus hellenicus'' use sulfur as the final electron acceptor but may use different membrane complexes in sulfur reduction. ''S. marinus'' lacks the genes for [[purine]] [[nucleotide]] biosynthesis and thus relies on environmental sources to meet its purine requirements.<ref>Brown AM, Hoopes SL, White RH, Sarisky CA. Purine biosynthesis in archaea: variations on a theme. Biol Direct. 2011 Dec 14;6:63. doi: 10.1186/1745-6150-6-63. PMID 22168471; PMCID: PMC3261824</ref>

==Ecology==
''Staphylothermus marinus'' and ''Staphylothermus hellenicus'' are classified as [[hyperthermophiles]] preferring temperatures between 65 and 85&nbsp;°C. Thermophiles live in hot water environments such as hyperthermal vents. Staphylothermus marinus has been found in the heated geothermal sediments of “[[black smokers]]” on the ocean floor.<ref name=:07/> The optimal growth temperature is 85–92&nbsp;°C. Maximum growth temperature is 98&nbsp;°C. It prefers a pH of 6.5, can grow in a pH of 4.5 to 8.5, and favors 1–3.5% NaCl concentrations. ''Staphylothermus hellenicus'' was isolated in shallow, hypothermal vents off the coast of [[Greece]] in 1996.<ref name=:05/> It grows at an optimum temperature of 85&nbsp;°C, pH 6 and 3–4% NaCl concentrations.

==Significance==
''Staphylothermus marinus'' and ''Staphylothermus hellenicus'' are very closely related and both could be used in [[biotechnology]] as heat-stable enzyme sources. The enzymes they contain are of the most stable known and most resistant to denaturing agents. Thermophile enzymes have been used in biotechnology to perform important procedures such as [[DNA polymerase]] chain reactions. These heat stable enzymes are also used in industrial products and processes such as [[biofuels]] and [[biodegradation]]. [[Biorefinery|Biorefineries]] specifically use thermophiles and their enzymes to convert biomass into useful products.<ref name=:10/> Thermophiles like ''Staphylothermus marinus'' and ''Staphylothermus hellenicus'' provide enzymes that are operable at high temperatures providing better mixing, less contamination, and better [[solubility]]. Many scientists believe that thermophiles are the oldest organisms on earth and may give scientists answers to the origin of life or whether life exists in other universes.<ref name=:08/>

==See also==
* [[List of Archaea genera]]

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=:05>GOLD Genomes Online Database. http://Staphylothermus{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} hellenicus P8, DSM 12710 GOLD CARD.mht. Retrieved March 30, 2012.</ref>
<ref name=:07>Joint Genome Institute. http://Staphylothermus{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} marinus F1, DSM 3639 - Home.mht. Retrieved April 2, 2012.</ref>
<ref name=:08>Mayr, J., Lupas, A., Kellerman, J., Eckerscorn, C., Baumeister, W., & Peters, J. (1996). A     hyperthermostable protease of the subtilisin family bound to the surface layer of the Archaeon Staphylothermus marinus. {Electronic version}. Current Biology, 6, 739–749.</ref>
<ref name=:09>Microbial Life Educational Resources. http://Microbial{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Life in Extremely Hot Environments.mht. Retrieved March 30, 2012.</ref>
<ref name=:10>Pernilla, T., Mamo, G., and Karlsson, E., (2007). Potential and utilization of thermophiles and thermostable enzymes in biorefining. {Electronic version}. Microb Cell Fact, 6, 9.</ref>
<ref name=:11>Peters, J., Nitsch, M., Kuhlmorgen, B., Golbik, R., Lupus, A., Kellermann, J., ''et al.'' (1995). Tetrabrachion: a filamentous archaebacterial surface protein assembly of unusual structure and extreme stability. {Electronic version}. Journal of Molecular Biology, 245 (4), 385–401.</ref>
}}

==Sources==
* Arab, H., Volker, H., & Thomm, M., (2000). Thermococcus aegaeicus sp. nov. and Staphylothermus hellenicus sp. nov., two novel hyperthermophilic archaea isolated from geothermally heated vents off Palaeochori Bay, Milos, Greece. {Electronic version}. International Journal of systematic and evolutionary biology, 50, 2101–2108.
* Bioinformatics Resource Portal. http://HAMAP{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} hellinicus.mht. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
* Joint Genome Institute. http://Staphylothermus{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} hellenicus P8, DSM 12710 - Home.mht. Retrieved April 2, 2012.

==Further reading==
* {{ cite journal | author = Burggraf S| author2 = Huber H| author3 = Stetter KO | date = 1997 | title = Reclassification of the crenarchael orders and families in accordance with 16S rRNA sequence data | journal =  Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol.  | volume =  47 | pages = 657–660 | pmid = 9226896 | doi = 10.1099/00207713-47-3-657 | issue = 3| doi-access = free }}
* {{ cite journal | display-authors = 4| author = Fiala G| author2 = Stetter KO| author3 = Jannasch HW| author4 = Langworthy TA| author5 = Madon J | date = 1986 | title = Staphylothermus marinus sp. nov. represents a novel genus of extremely thermophilic submarine heterotrophic archaebacteria growing up to 98°C | journal =  Syst. Appl. Microbiol.  | volume =  8 | issue = 1–2| pages = 106–113 | doi = 10.1016/S0723-2020(86)80157-6 }}
* {{ cite journal | display-authors = 4| author = Zillig W| author2 = Stetter KO| author3 = Prangishvilli D| author4 = Schafer W| author5 = Wunderl S| author6 = Janekovic D| author7 = Holz I| author8 = Palm P | date = 1982 | title = Desulfurococcaceae, the second family of the extremely thermophilic, anaerobic, sulfur-respiring Thermoproteales | journal =  Zentralbl. Bakteriol. Parasitenkd. Infektionskr. Hyg. Abt. 1 Orig.  | volume =  C3 | pages = 304–317 }}

==External links==
*[http://bacdive.dsmz.de/index.php?search=Staphylothermus&submit=Search ''Staphylothermus'' at Bac''Dive'' -  the Bacterial Diversity Metadatabase]
{{Archaea classification}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q5366194}}
[[Category:Archaea genera]]
[[Category:Thermoproteota]]
{{Crenarchaeota-stub}}