A NOVEL STUDY OF THE EXTREME THERMOPHILES: RHODOTHERMUS MARINUS, SULFOLOBUS SOLFATARICUS, AND THERMOBIFIDA FUSCA
Date
2019-05
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
The thermophilic organisms Rhodothermus marinus, Sulfolobus solfataricus,
and Thermobifida fusca possess unique characteristics that make them relevant to
potential industrial and biotechnological applications. Rhodothermus marinus grows
in high salinity environments, Sulfolobus solfataricus grows in low pH environments,
and Thermobifida fusca is able to utilize cellulose as its main carbon substrate. These
unique abilities coupled with thermophilic organisms’ innate ability to grow at high
temperatures (77°C, 80°C , and 55°C for R. marinus, S. solfataricus, and T. fusca
respectively) , make these valuable candidates in the realm of biotechnology, to be
utilized for tasks like production of low-boiling fuels and thermostable enzymes.
In this study, the growth physiology and metabolism of each of these
organisms is investigated. Using modern tools of metabolic engineering and systems
biology such as 13C-metabolic flux analysis (MFA), a quantitative map of the
metabolism can be generated, resulting in a greater knowledge of the organism and its
by-products of metabolism.
To understand general physiology, a combination of literature review and
growth experimentation was utilized. The results of the study included media,
temperature, and substrate optimization, as well as revelations regarding carbon
substrate sources. For instance, it was shown that S.solfataricus is able to grow on
xylose as efficiently as it grows on glucose.
Regarding metabolism, successful characterizations of flux maps were
achieved for R. marinus and T. fusca. For the S.solfataricus strain, initial hypotheses
related to xylose processing pathways appear to have been incorrect, leaving room for
further research and development of models.
Description
Keywords
Chemical engineering, Extreme thermophiles