Archaeoglobus

In taxonomy, Archaeoglobus is a genus of the Archaeoglobaceae.

The genus Archaeoglobus is a hyperthermophilic member of the Euryarchaeota. It is composed of two species, A. fulgidus and A. profundus which were isolated from hydrothermal vents. Archaeoglobus can also be found in high-temperature oil fields where they may contribute to oil field souring. Optimal growth of these organisms occurs at approximately 83ºC. Metabolically, Archaeoglobus are sulfate-reducing Archaea, coupling to the reduction of sulfate (to sulfide) to the oxidation of many different organic carbon sources, including complex polymers. Archaeoglobus can also live chemolithoautotrophically by coupling the oxidation of thiosulfate to the reduction of hydrogen gas. Archaeoglobus are the only organisms other than the traditional sulfate-reducing bacteria capable of the reduction of sulfate. Intriguingly, the completion of the complete A. fulgidus genome sequence (Klenk, 1997) revealed the presence of a nearly complete set of genes for methanogenesis. The function of these genes in A. fulgidus remains unknown, although the lack of the enzyme methyl-CoM reductase does not allow for methanogenesis to occur by a mechanism similar to that found in other methanogens.

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