Enhanced underground metabolism challenges life at high temperature–metabolic thermoadaptation in hyperthermophilic Archaea

The text-book picture of a perfect, well organised metabolism with highly specific enzymes, is challenged by non-enzymatic reactions and promiscuous enzymes. This, so-called ‘underground metabolism’, special challenge for hyperthermophilic Archaea that thrive at temperatures above 80 °C possess modified central metabolic pathways often Hence, the question arises how extremely thermophilic can operate their unusual where many pathway intermediates are unstable? We herein discuss current insights in underground thermoadaptation (hyper)thermophilic Archaea. So far, only few repair enzymes salvaging have been investigated Studies carbohydrate indicate number different strategies evolved: 1) reduction concentration unstable metabolites, 2) topologies used newly induced 3) damaged metabolites removed via new pathways.