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Polysaccharide Degradation and Synthesis by Extremely Thermophilic Anaerobes
Author(s) -
VanFossen Amy L.,
Lewis Derrick L.,
Nichols Jason D.,
Kelly Robert M.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1196/annals.1419.017
Subject(s) - thermophile , thermotoga maritima , pyrococcus furiosus , extremophile , polysaccharide , glycoside hydrolase , biochemistry , microorganism , microbiology and biotechnology , bacteria , biofilm , biology , chemistry , archaea , enzyme , escherichia coli , gene , genetics
Extremely thermophilic fermentative anaerobes (growth T opt ≥ 70°C) have the capacity to use a variety of carbohydrates as carbon and energy sources. As such, a wide variety of glycoside hydrolases and transferases have been identified in these microorganisms. The genomes of three model extreme thermophiles—an archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus ( T opt = 98°C), and two bacteria, Thermotoga maritima ( T opt = 80°C) and Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus (T opt = 70°C)—encode numerous carbohydrate‐active enzymes, many of which have been characterized biochemically in their native or recombinant forms. In addition to their voracious appetite for polysaccharide degradation, polysaccharide production has also been noted for extremely thermophilic fermentative anaerobes; T. maritima generates exopolysaccharides that aid in biofilm formation, a process that appears to be driven by intraspecies and interspecies interactions.