Biochemical Studies on an Extreme Thermophile Thermus thermophilus: Thermal Stabilities of Cell Constituents and a Bacteriophage

Abstract

Mechanism of thermophily has been the object of biochemical interest for many years, but has not been clearly answered at the molecular level. Most of the studies have been done using a moderate thermophile, Bacillus stearothermophilus which grows optimally at 60–65°C. Studies on more rigorously thermophilic bacterium in comparison with the moderate thermophile and mesophile will be one of the most fruitful way to the understanding of thermophily. Thus we have been studying the thermal stabilities of cellular components and bacteriophage of an extremely thermophilic bacterium, Thermos thermophilus (formerly named Flavobacterium thermophilum) HB8 which was isolated froma Japanese thermal spa1,2.