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Category: Applied and Industrial Microbiology; Environmental Microbiology
Functional Genomics in Thermophilic Microorganisms, Page 1 of 2
< Previous page | Next page > /docserver/preview/fulltext/10.1128/9781555815813/9781555814229_Chap03-1.gif /docserver/preview/fulltext/10.1128/9781555815813/9781555814229_Chap03-2.gifAbstract:
This chapter, using the rapidly expanding set of whole-genome sequences now available, examines the progress made in understanding life at elevated temperatures. Functional genomics uses high-throughput techniques like DNA microarrays, proteomics, metabolomics and mutation analysis to describe the function and interactions of genes. The first thermophilic methanogen to be analyzed comprehensively by microarray was Methanocaldococcus jannaschii. This study resulted in the discovery of a unique heat-shock-inducible prefoldin chaperone gene. In an early study, activities of several key metabolic enzymes were evaluated when Pyrococcus furiosus was grown on maltose and/or peptides, both with and without S0. This study revealed that Pyrococcus furiosus is able to utilize both peptides and maltose as sources of C and that it is able to grow well in the absence of S0, metabolic characteristics that set it apart from most other S0-reducing, heterotrophic hyperthermophiles. Comparative genomics also provides insights into the mobility of chromosomal sections and lateral gene transfer (LGT). Bacterial and archaeal thermophiles often share the same habitats, and there is abundant evidence from genomic analyses that LGT is common in the group. The application of microarray-based studies, already underway using the P. furiosus genome information, will be important to examine global stress regulation. Further studies of the growth physiology and molecular biology of model organisms such as hyperthermophiles and halophiles will be necessary to determine their potential for the production of gas fuels and the potential application of their extremely thermostable enzymes in biotechnology.
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Sequenced thermophile genomes