Ferroplasma acidiphilum explained

Ferroplasma acidiphilum is an acidophilic, autotrophic, ferrous iron-oxidizing,^[1] cell wall-lacking, mesophilic member of the Ferroplasmaceae.^[2] F. acidophilum is a mesophile with a temperature optimum of approximately 35 °C, growing optimally at a pH of 1.7. F. acidophilum is generally found in acidic mine tailings, primarily those containing pyrite (FeS₂). It is especially abundant in cases of severe acid mine drainage, where other organisms such as Acidithiobacillus and Leptospirillum lower the pH of the environment to the extent that F. acidophilum is allowed to flourish.

F. acidophilum obtains energy by oxidation of the ferrous iron in pyrite using oxygen as a terminal electron acceptor. This process produces sulfuric acid as a by-product, leading to further acidification of its environment. Its type strain is YT.

Further reading

• Phenotypic Features of Ferroplasma acidiphilum Strains YT and Y-2. Pivovarova. T. A.. Kondrat'eva. T. F.. Batrakov. S. G.. Esipov. S. E.. Sheichenko. V. I.. Bykova. S. A.. Lysenko. A. M.. Karavaiko. G. I.. Microbiology. 71. 6. 2002. 698–706. 0026-2617. 10.1023/A:1021436107979.

Golyshina. Olga V.. Ferrer. Manuel. Plou. Francisco J.. Timmis. Kenneth N.. Golyshin. Peter N.. A novel α-glucosidase from the acidophilic archaeon Ferroplasma acidiphilum strain Y with high transglycosylation activity and an unusual catalytic nucleophile. Biochemical Journal. 391. 2. 2005. 269. 0264-6021. 10.1042/BJ20050346. 1276924. 15954864.

Bulaev. A. G.. Pivovarova. T. A.. Melamud. V. S.. Bumazhkin. B. K.. Patutina. E. O.. Kolganova. T. V.. Kuznetsov. B. B.. Kondrat'eva. T. F.. Changes in the species composition of a thermotolerant community of acidophilic chemolithotrophic microorganisms upon switching to the oxidation of a new energy substrate. Microbiology. July 2012. 81. 4. 391–396. 0026-2617. 10.1134/S0026261712040029.

External links

• • LPSN
• Type strain of Ferroplasma acidiphilum at BacDive - the Bacterial Diversity Metadatabase

Notes and References

1. Ferrer. Manuel. Golyshina. Olga V.. Beloqui. Ana. Golyshin. Peter N.. Timmis. Kenneth N.. The cellular machinery of Ferroplasma acidiphilum is iron-protein-dominated. Nature. 445. 7123. 2007. 91–94. 0028-0836. 10.1038/nature05362. 17203061. 2007Natur.445...91F.
2. Golyshina. O. V.. Pivovarova. T. A.. Karavaiko. G. I.. Kondrat'eva. T. F.. Moore. E.. Abraham. W. R.. Lunsdorf. H.. Timmis. K. N.. Yakimov. M. M.. Golyshin. P. N.. Ferroplasma acidiphilum gen. nov., sp. nov., an acidophilic, autotrophic, ferrous-iron-oxidizing, cell-wall-lacking, mesophilic member of the Ferroplasmaceae fam. nov., comprising a distinct lineage of the Archaea. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 50. 3. 2000. 997–1006. 1466-5026. 10.1099/00207713-50-3-997. 10843038. free.