The thermophilic aerobic bacterium Bacillus thermoleovorans Hamburg 2 grows at 60 degrees C on naphthalene as the sole source of carbon and energy. In batch cultures, an effective substrate degradation was observed. The carbon balance, including naphthalene, metabolites, biomass, and CO(2), was determined by the application of [1-(13)C]naphthalene. The incorporation of naphthalene-derived carbo...

Temperature is one of the most important factors affecting microbial growth and biological reactions. In this study, the effect of temperature on aerobic biodegradation of feces is described through the comparison and analysis of experimental oxygen utilization rates (OUR) profiles obtained from batch tests conducted at several temperatures covering mainly mesophilic and thermophilic ranges. Ad...

In extreme environments varying from hot to cold, acidic to alkaline, and highly saline, mainly Archaea are found. Thermophilic and extremely acidophilic Archaea have a membrane that contains membrane spanning tetraether lipids. These tetra-ether membranes have a limited permeability for protons even at the high temperatures of growth and this property makes it possible for thermophilic archaea...

The effects of thermochemical pretreatment and continuous thermophilic conditions on the composting of a mixture of rice straw residue and cattle manure were investigated using a laboratory-scale composting reactor. Results indicate that the composting period of rice straw can be shortened to less than 10 days by applying alkali pre-treatment and continuous thermophilic composting conditions. T...

Almost complete sequences of the 16s rRNA genes of eight representative thermophilic streptomycetes were determined following the isolation and cloning of the amplified genes. These sequences were aligned with those of representative mesophilic streptomycetes, and phylogenetic trees were inferred by using four tree-making algorithms. The thermophilic streptomycetes formed two distinct clades th...

The leuB gene from the psychrotrophic strain Vibrio sp. I5 has been cloned and sequenced. The gene codes for 3-isopropylmalate dehydrogenase, a 360-residue, dimeric enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of leucine. Three recently solved homologous isopropylmalate dehydrogenase (IPMDH) crystal structures from thermophilic and mesophilic organisms have been used to build a homology model for the ps...

The deconstruction of biomass is a pivotal process for the manufacture of target products using microbial cells and their enzymes. But the enzymes that possess a significant role in the breakdown of biomass remain relatively unexplored. Thermophilic microorganisms are of special interest as a source of novel thermostable enzymes. Many thermophilic microorganisms possess properties suitable for ...

Despite decades of research, the structure and assembly of the nuclear pore complex (NPC), which is composed of ∼30 nucleoporins (Nups), remain elusive. Here, we report the genome of the thermophilic fungus Chaetomium thermophilum (ct) and identify the complete repertoire of Nups therein. The thermophilic proteins show improved properties for structural and biochemical studies compared to their...

L-arabinose isomerase (AI), which catalyzes the isomerization of L-arabinose to L-ribulose, can also convert D-galactose to D-tagatose, a natural sugar replacer, which is of commercial interest in the food and healthcare industries. Intriguingly, mesophilic and thermophilic AIs showed different substrate preferences and metal requirements in catalysis and different thermostabilities. However, t...

It has been known for some time that thermophilic proteins generally have increased numbers of non-covalent interactions (salt bridges, hydrogen bonds, etc.) compared with their mesophilic orthologs. Recently, anecdotal structural comparisons suggest that non-specific acid-base ion pairs on the protein surface can be an evolutionary efficient mechanism to increase thermostability. In this compr...