taxonomy Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

, ''Picrophilus'' is an

archaea Archaea ( ; singular archaeon ) is a domain of single-celled organisms. These microorganisms lack cell nuclei and are therefore prokaryotes. Archaea were initially classified as bacteria, receiving the name archaebacteria (in the Archaebac ...

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of the family

Picrophilaceae In alpha taxonomy, taxonomy, the Picrophilaceae are a family (biology), family of microbes within Thermoplasmatales.See the National Center for Biotechnology Information, NCBI]webpage on Picrophilaceae Data extracted from the Morphology and ec ...

. ''Picrophilus'' is an extremely acidophile (organisms), acidophilic genus within

Euryarchaeota Euryarchaeota (from Ancient Greek ''εὐρύς'' eurús, "broad, wide") is a phylum of archaea. Euryarchaeota are highly diverse and include methanogens, which produce methane and are often found in intestines, halobacteria, which survive extre ...

. These microbes are the most acidophile (organisms), acidophilic organisms currently known, with the ability to grow at a pH of less than 0.5.Life in the Universe: Expectations and Constraints
/ref> They were first isolated from samples taken from acidic hot springs and dry hot soil in

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

(

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

). They are obligate

acidophile Acidophiles or acidophilic organisms are those that thrive under highly acidic conditions (usually at pH 5.0 or below). These organisms can be found in different branches of the tree of life, including Archaea, Bacteria,Becker, A.Types of Bacteria ...

s and are unable to maintain their membrane integrity at pH values above 4. While phylogenetically related to other organisms within

Thermoplasmata In taxonomy, the Thermoplasmata are a class of the Euryarchaeota. All are acidophiles, growing optimally at pH below 2. ''Picrophilus'' is currently the most acidophilic of all known organisms growing at a minimum pH of 0.06. Many of these orga ...

, unlike ''

Thermoplasma In taxonomy, ''Thermoplasma'' is a genus of the Thermoplasmataceae.See the NCBIbr>webpage on Thermoplasma Data extracted from the ''Thermoplasma'' is a genus of archaea. It belongs to the Thermoplasmata, which thrive in acidic and high-tempe ...

'' and ''

Ferroplasma ''Ferroplasma'' is a genus of Archaea that belong to the family Ferroplasmaceae. Members of the ''Ferroplasma'' are typically acidophillic, pleomorphic, irregularly shaped cocci. The archaean family Ferroplasmaceae was first described in the ear ...

'', ''Picrophilus'' contains an

S-layer An S-layer (surface layer) is a part of the cell envelope found in almost all archaea, as well as in many types of bacteria. The S-layers of both archaea and bacteria consists of a monomolecular layer composed of only one (or, in a few cases, two) ...

cell wall.

References

External links

Archaea genera {{archaea-stub

See also

References

Further reading

Scientific journals

Scientific books

Scientific databases

External links