Kathryn Boardman

Microbe Paper 2
Geogemma

The microbe Geogemma is from the domain Archaea. This paper asks us to

focus on how our microbe gets its carbon and electrons, if it has any unusual

pathways, and the metabolism required.

In hot anaerobic atmospheres, hyperthermophilic microorganisms can

oxidize hydrogen and metabolize short and long-chain organic acids to carbon

dioxide by using Fe (III) as the electron acceptor. (Kashefi, 2008) Let me explain

this a little bit, Fe (III) is Iron oxide which sustains abnormally high temperatures; it

denatures at 1000°C. Which is great since this microbe is one of the few

hyperthemophilies that can live around 100°C. An anaerobic atmosphere is one

that does not need oxygen, or lacking oxygen.

The family Desulfurococcales, (which is what Geogemma is in), grow

chemolithoautotrophically by sulfer reduction to H2S (hydrogen sulfide) with carbon

dioxide as the sole carbon source. They can also grow heterotrophically by sulfer

respiration of various organic sustrates, or by fermentation, or aerobic respiration.

(Burggraf, Huber, & Stetter, 1997). Chemolithoautotrophic means Geogemma

obtain the essential carbon for metabolic processes from carbon dioxide in their

surroundings. “They also use inorganic compounds such as nitrogen, iron, or sulfur

for the energy to power these processes.” (Rice, 2007).

In short, the key electron acceptor found for this deep, hot, microorganism

Geogemma is Fe (III). It is able to reproduce and sustain life at the high

temperatures required for where the microbe is naturally found. An unnatural

example of temperatures that high is an autoclave, which is steam under pressure,

heated to 121°C 15psi for 15 minuets. (Case & Johnson, 2010). In laboratory

experiments with Geogemma (specifically species G. barossii – strain 121),

autoclaving did not kill it. This “doubled in cell numbers after 24 hours at 121°C.”

(Lovley & Kashefi, 2003).

Works Cited
1. Burggraf, S., Huber, H., Stetter, K. (1997). Reclassification of the
Crenarchaeal Orders and Families in Accordance with 16S rRNA Sequence
Data. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology. , 47(3), 657-660.

2. Case, C., & Johnson, T. (2010). Labratory Experiments in Microbiology (Vol.

9). (L. Berriman, Ed.) San Francisco, CA: Pearson Education.

3. Kashefi, K. (2008). Growth of Thermophilic and Hyperthermophilic Fe(III)-

Reducing Microorganisms on Ferruginous Smectite as the Sole Electron
Acceptor. Applied and Environmental Microbiology., 74(1), 251-258.

4. Lovely, D., Kashefi, K. (2003). Extending the Upper Temperature Limit for
Life. American Association for the Advancement of Science., 301(5635), 934.
Retrieved (February 17, 2010), from EBSCOhost.

5. Rice, G. (2007, December 27). Microbial Life Education Resource. (S. E. Center, Editor)
Retrieved (February 13, 2010), from Alkalithermophilic Chemolithoautotrophic Crenarchaeota:
http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/microbservatories/nevadahotsprings/alkchem.html