Archaea Flashcards
Do archaea always live in extreme environments?
- no
- but they are the main or only organisms that do live in the extreme environments when they do
Describe the archaeal cytoplasmic membrane
- a stable membrane is needed to compensate for living in extreme environments or lacking pep in membrane
- Lipid bilayer: glycerol diethers made from C20 phytantyl liquids
- Lipid monolayer: diglycerol tetraethers made from C40 Biphytanyl lipids. **most stable
**both are extremely resistant to heat denaturation. Widespread among thermophiles.
Domain: Archaea
- what are the two main groups?
- Crenarchaeota : many hyperthermophylic species, often chemolithotrophic (energy from oxidation of inorganic compounds), autotrophic (CO2 as sole carbon source)
- Euryarchaeota : physiologically diverse, many extremophiles
Archaea: Crenarchaeota:
- Hyperthermophiles
L> describe these hooligans.
- where are they isolated from. How do they live? Temps? Populations>
-isolated from geothermal springs and soils (temp of 100C or more)
- sulphur rich springs (Solfatarans)
L> pH ranges from mildly alkaline to pH 1. Low pH (H2SO4)
-Hydrothermal vents: under sea hot spring , water is under pressure, temperatures above 100C (up to 500)
**They live in biofilms in mixtures of species
Give an example of a sulfolobales. Describe it as well.
- Sulfolobus acidocaldarius
L> grows in sulphur rich acidic hot springs
L> aerobic chemolithotrophs that oxidize reduced sulphur or iron
L> 90C, pH 1-5
L> Spherical/lobed
L> Adheres to sulphur crystals
Compare the S layer of Bacteria and Archaea
- Bacteria: Gram +, attachment via LPS associated
L> Gram -, attachment via PG and Teichoic Acids - Archaea: Gram -, attachment via hydrophobic anchor
L> Gram +, attachment via pseudomurein
Describe sulfolobales S-layer.
- S layer, crystalline array of proteins, anchored in the cytoplasmic membrane
- *lobes bc of irregular pattern
Give an example of Desulfurococcales. Describe it.
- Pyrolobus fumarii.
- optimum growth temp 106C
- lives in the walls of black smokers
- S layer composed of protein
- Membranes composed of glycerol tetraethers ( lipid monolayer)
- Autotrophic
**it can withstand the temp we sterilize at (121) - Facultative aerobe
- obligate H2 chemolithotroph
- NO3- is used as a terminal acceptor in strict anaerobic conditions
(NO3- and H2—> NH4)
What problems are encountered by organisms living in high temperatures?
- instability of biomolecules at high temperatures
Adaptations to life at high temperatures:
- Proteins?
- molecular chaperones (heat shock proteins)
- proteins which refold partially denatured proteins
- thermosome
- produced in very high amounts at growth limiting temperatures
Adaptations to life at high temperatures:
- Lipids?
- glycerol tetraethers in membranes
Adaptations to life at high temperatures:
- DNA?
- reverse DNA Gyrase
L> introduces positive supercoils, coiling the DNA tightly to protect it - DNA binding proteins
L> Sac7d in Sulfolobus, binds the minor groove increases Tm by 40C(increases melting temp)
L> Archeael histones, DNA wound and compacted
Explain nonthermophilic crenarchaeota
- found in nutrient poor marine environments
- can survive in very cold seawater and ice
- planktonic (floating)
- identified by SSU rRNA sampling
- Can fix inorganic carbon
L> probably play a key role in the carbon cycle
Eukyarchaeota:
- Halophilic archaea
L> example? Explain it
- Halobacterium salinarum
L> extreme halophile
L> have requirement for high salt concentrations, typically at least 1.5 M ~9% NaCl for growth
L> found in sea salt evaporation pounds, salt lakes and artificial habitats (ie salted foods)
Eukyarchaeota:
- Halophilic archaea
L> explain the problems of living in high salt and adaptations to high salt concentrations
- problems: osmotic forces, high solute levels inside cells
- maintain positive water balance by pumping K+ in to cells (Higher K+ inside the cell vs Na+ outside cell)
- Glycoprotein cell wall: cell wall stabilized by NA+
- cellular proteins composed of more acidic amino acids making more soluble at high solute concentration
