Thermus thermophilus | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Bacteria |
Phylum: | Deinococcota |
Class: | Deinococci |
Order: | Thermales |
Family: | Thermaceae |
Genus: | Thermus |
Species: | T. thermophilus
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Binomial name | |
Thermus thermophilus (ex Oshima and Imahori 1974) Manaia et al. 1995
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Thermus thermophilus is a Gram-negative bacterium used in a range of biotechnological applications, including as a model organism for genetic manipulation, structural genomics, and systems biology. The bacterium is extremely thermophilic, with an optimal growth temperature of about 65 °C (149 °F). Thermus thermophilus was originally isolated from a thermal vent within a hot spring in Izu, Japan by Tairo Oshima and Kazutomo Imahori.[1] The organism has also been found to be important in the degradation of organic materials in the thermogenic phase of composting.[2] T. thermophilus is classified into several strains, of which HB8 and HB27 are the most commonly used in laboratory environments. Genome analyses of these strains were independently completed in 2004.[3] Thermus also displays the highest frequencies of natural transformation known to date. [4]