Introduction
S. solfataricus is a thermophilic archaeon. They tend to be found almost anywhere there is terrestrial volcanic activity, and grow optimally at temperatures of 75-80°C[6]. They also prefer a pH around 3 with sulfur present, as both their autotrophic and heterotrophic methods of growth utilize sulfur[6][30]. Like most members of the order sulfolobales, they have a coccus shape[30]. In the hot springs and solfataric fields they grow in, they can be seen as an iridescent glimmering layer on the surface (see picture below)[7][23]. S. solfataricus is host to at least four families of viruses[24], one of which is Lipothrixvirus SIFV.
|
Domain: Archaea
Kingdom: Crenarchaeota Phylum: Crenarchaeota Class: Thermoprotei Order: Sulfolobales Family: Sulfolobaceae Genus: Sulfolobus Species: S. solfataricus |
Phylogeny
Sulfolobus belongs to the phylum Crenarchaeota, which basically has contained nothing but extreme thermophiles until recently discoveries[27][28][see image below]. The nearest clade to sulfolobales is desulfurococcales, which also utilize sulfur and share many characteristics of Sulfolobus listed above[29]. These phylogenic relations are the result of comparing ribosomal RNA sequences[e.g. 30].
> |
References
[6]https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Sulfolobus
[7]http://web.mst.edu/~microbio/bio221_1999/s_sulfataricus.html [23]http://www.sulfosys.com/sulfolobus-solfataricus.html [24]She, Q., Singh, R., Confalonieri, F., Zivanovic, Y., Allard, G., Awayez, M., & ... Van der Oost, J. (2001). The complete genome of the crenarchaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus P2. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America, 98(14), 7835-7840. [27]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crenarchaeota [28]Blöchl, E., Burggraf, S., Fiala, G., Lauerer, G., Huber, G., Huber, R., & ... Völkl, P. (1995). Isolation, taxonomy and phylogeny of hyperthermophilic microorganisms. World Journal Of Microbiology & Biotechnology, 11(1), 9-16. doi:10.1007/BF00339133 [29]http://www.springerreference.com/docs/html/chapterdbid/3681.html [30]http://tolweb.org/Crenarchaeota |