Effects of Dissolved Sulfide, pH, and Temperature on Growth and Survival of Marine Hyperthermophilic Archaea

Abstract

The ability of metabolically diverse hyperthermophilic archaea to withstand high temperatures, low pHs, high sulfide concentrations, and the absence of carbon and energy sources was investigated. Close relatives of our study organisms, Methanocaldococcus jannaschii, Archaeoglobus profundus, Thermococcus fumicolans, and Pyrococcus sp. strain GB-D, are commonly found in hydrothermal vent chimney walls and hot sediments and possibly deeper in the subsurface, where highly dynamic hydrothermal flow patterns and steep chemical and temperature gradients provide an ever-changing mosaic of microhabitats. These organisms (with the possible exception of Pyrococcus strain GB-D) tolerated greater extremes of low pH, high sulfide concentration, and high temperature when actively growing and metabolizing than when starved of carbon sources and electron donors/acceptors. Therefore these organisms must be actively metabolizing in the hydrothermal vent chimneys, sediments, and subsurface in order to withstand at least 24 h of exposure to extremes of pH, sulfide, and temperature that occur in these environments.

Microbial Ecology of the Dark Ocean above, at, and below the Seafloor

“…Methanococcus jannaschii, an autotrophic methanogenic member of the Euryarchaeota, is a commonly studied microorganism, as it was one of the first thermophilic archaea isolated from the then newly discovered hydrothermal vents (254). M. jannaschii is easily cultivable and has been used as a model in a range of studies, from studies on the effects of pressure to proteomics to thermotolerance studies (55,327,432). It was also the first archaeon with a sequenced genome (72), and it has been the target of evolutionary studies due to its basal position in the tree of life.…”

Influence of hydrogen sulfide on the composition of cell wall proteins of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast

“…Підвищені концен-трації H 2 S спричиняють зниження вмісту бактеріохлорофілів і каротиноїдів у кліти-нах бактерій Chlorobium limicola, втрату зв'язку хлоросом із цитоплазматичною мембраною та їхнє руйнування [3]. Досить стійкими до дії гідроген сульфіду вияви-лися археї, що може бути пов'язане з їхньою здатністю утворювати біоплівки у при-родних умовах [23,29] .…”

Prediction of proton exchange and bacterial growth on various substrates using constraint-based modeling approach

“…Most bacteria grow best around neutral pH values (6.5 ~ 7.5), and hence pH control of the culture is essential in most fermentation processes to improve cell growth and product formation [1][2][3]. There are several experimental studies that discuss the significance of pH on growth and product formation in microorganisms [4][5][6]. Due to the dependency of pH on various factors, its modeling, prediction, and control have all remained challenging [7][8][9].…”