Thermotogales

Elizaveta Bonch‐Osmolovskaya, Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology RAS, Moscow, Russia

Published online: December 2008

DOI: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0000467.pub2

Members of the order Thermotogales have an outstanding phylogenetic position within the domain Bacteria, based on their 16S rRNA (ribosomal ribonucleic acid) genes sequences. Some Thermotogales organisms are hyperthermophiles with the upper temperature limit of growth at 90°C whereas others are extreme or moderate thermophiles. All Thermotogales are obligately anaerobic organotrophs with a fermentative metabolism. Many thermostable enzymes of Thermotogales were characterized and could be used in different fields of biotechnology.

Keywords: Thermotogales; Thermotoga; bacteria; thermophiles; evolution

Figure 1. Schematic 16S rRNA tree of the domain Bacteria showing the position of the order Thermotogales. Modified from Reysenbach et al. (2005).
Figure 2. Phylogenetic position of species within the order Thermotogales. Modified from Alain et al. (2002).
Figure 3. Electron micrograph of a platinum-shadowed, single flagellated cell of Thermotoga maritima. Arrows point to the sheath-like outer structure (‘toga’). Bar, 1 m.
Figure 4. Electron micrograph of Thermosipho africanus, showing four cells within a tube-like sheath. Bar, 1 m.
Figure 5. Electron micrograph of a thin section of Fervidobacterium islandicum. Arrow points to the terminal bleb. Bar, 1 m.
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Related Sub-Topics:

Bacteria | Microbial Evolution and Taxonomy | Extremophiles
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Article Title: Thermotogales
 
How to Cite close
Bonch‐Osmolovskaya, Elizaveta(Dec 2008) Thermotogales. In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester. http://www.els.net [doi: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0000467.pub2]