Physiological Diversity of Hyperthermophilic Microorganisms in Diverse Hot Environments

不同高温环境下超嗜热微生物的生理多样性

• 批准号: 0348085
• 负责人: Derek Lovley
• 金额: $ 49.77万
• 依托单位: University of Massachusetts Amherst
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-04-15 至 2008-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0348085&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Physiological; Diversity; Hyperthermophilic; Microorganisms; Diverse

A grant has been awarded to Dr. Derek Lovley of the University of Massachusetts to investigate novel microorganisms, known as hyperthermophiles, that live at the temperature of boiling water, or even hotter. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the range of environmental conditions under which hyperthermophiles can exist and the types of reactions that hyperthermophiles can use to gain energy to support their growth. For example, the upper temperature limit at which life is possible will be carefully evaluated. Studies will be conducted to explore the hypothesis that there is a wide diversity of hyperthermophiles capable of living in the absence of oxygen by oxidizing hydrocarbons to carbon dioxide with the reduction of the iron oxides or sulfur that are abundant in some hot environments. The possibility that there are hyperthermophiles that can grow on soluble ferric iron under highly acidic conditions will also be studied. New approaches to the isolation of hyperthermophiles will be used in an attempt to isolate the microorganisms that still exist on Earth that are most closely related to the microbes which are thought to be the ancestors of all current life on Earth. These studies are expected to improve the understanding of how microbial life evolved on the hot, early Earth and the functioning of hot microbial ecosystems in modern environments, such as those associated with terrestrial hot springs, marine hydrothermal vents, and the deep subsurface. The results will help further define the conditions under which life might be found on other planets. This research has the potential to provide substantial economic benefit by suggesting new strategies for the remediation of toxic contaminants and the recovery of hydrocarbons from petroleum reservoirs. The findings may also furnish information that will aid in the search for ore deposits and is likely to yield new, heat-stable enzymes with possible industrial applications.

马萨诸塞大学的德里克·洛夫利 (Derek Lovley) 博士获得了一项资助，用于研究新型微生物，即超嗜热微生物，它们生活在沸水甚至更热的温度下。这项研究的目的是评估超级嗜热菌可以存在的环境条件范围以及超级嗜热菌可以用来获取能量以支持其生长的反应类型。 例如，将仔细评估可能存在寿命的温度上限。 将进行研究以探索这样一个假设：存在多种超嗜热生物，它们能够通过将碳氢化合物氧化成二氧化碳并还原某些炎热环境中丰富的铁氧化物或硫来在缺氧条件下生存。还将研究在高酸性条件下存在可以在可溶性三价铁上生长的超级嗜热菌的可能性。 分离超嗜热微生物的新方法将用于尝试分离仍然存在于地球上的微生物，这些微生物与被认为是地球上所有当前生命的祖先的微生物关系最密切。这些研究预计将增进对微生物生命如何在炎热的早期地球上进化以及现代环境中热微生物生态系统功能的理解，例如与陆地温泉、海洋热液喷口和地下深层相关的生态系统。 研究结果将有助于进一步确定在其他行星上可能发现生命的条件。这项研究有可能通过提出修复有毒污染物和从石油储层中回收碳氢化合物的新策略来提供巨大的经济效益。 这些发现还可能提供有助于寻找矿床的信息，并可能产生具有工业应用前景的新型热稳定酶。