Picrophilus

Picrophilus
Scientific classification
Domain:
Archaea
Kingdom:
Euryarchaeota
Phylum:
Euryarchaeota
Class:
Thermoplasmata
Order:
Thermoplasmatales
Family:
Picrophilaceae
Genus:
Picrophilus

Schleper et al. 1996
Type species
Picrophilus oshimae
Schleper et al. 1996
Species
Schematic map of the pPO1 plasmid from the hyperacidophile Picrophilus oshimae

In taxonomy, Picrophilus is an archaean genus of the family Picrophilaceae.[1]

Picrophilus is an extremely acidophilic genus within Euryarchaeota. These microbes are the most acidophilic organisms currently known,[2] with the ability to grow at a pH of less than 0.5.[3] They were first isolated from samples taken from acidic hot springs and dry hot soil in Hokkaido (Japan). They are obligate acidophiles and are unable to maintain their membrane integrity at pH values above 4. While phylogenetically related to other organisms within Thermoplasmata, unlike Thermoplasma and Ferroplasma, Picrophilus contains an S-layer cell wall.

  1. ^ See the NCBI webpage on Picrophilus. Data extracted from the "NCBI taxonomy resources". National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved 2007-03-19.
  2. ^ C.Michael Hogan. 2010. Extremophile. eds. E.Monosson and C.Cleveland. Encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science and the Environment, Washington DC.
  3. ^ Life in the Universe: Expectations and Constraints