| Methanothermus |
| Morphology | Methanothermus |
| CELLULAR |
| Staining | Gram-positive |
| Morphology | Straight to slightly curved rods, usually 0.3-0.4 x 1-3 um, occurring singly and in short chains. The cell envelope consists of a double layer, an inner of pseudomurein and an outer S-layer (Sleytr and Messner 1983) of protein subunits (At the poles, channels are visible, leading radially through the pseudomurein |
| Motility | |
| Specialized structures | sulfur granules may attach to the cells |
| Division |
| COLONIAL |
| Solid surface |
| Liquid |
| Growth Parameters | Methanothermus |
| PHYSIOLOGICAL |
| Tropism | Chemolithotrophic, growing on hydrogen and CO2 |
| Oxygen | Strictly anaerobic |
| pH | |
| Temperature | Optimum temperature: 80-85`C; maximum: about 97`C; minimum: 55-60`C. |
| Requirements | |
| Products | methane |
| Enzymes | |
| Unique features | Formate, acetate, methanol and methylamines can not serve as substrates (Stetter et al. 1981). In the presence of molecular sulfur and hydrogen and CO2, large amounts of H2S are formed, and sulfur granules attached to the cells are visible (Stetter and Gaag 1983). |
| ENVIRONMENTAL |
| Habitat | |
| Lifestyle | |
| Pathogenicity |
| Distribution |
| Genome | Methanothermus |
| G+C Mol % | 33 |
| Reference | Methanothermus |
| First citation | Stetter in Stetter,K.O., M. ,Thomm, J. Winter, G. Wildgruber, H. Huber, W. Zillig, D. Janekovic, H. Konig, P. Palm and S Wunderl. 1981. Methanothermus fervidus, sp. nov., a novel extremely thermophilic methanogen isolated from an icelandic hot spring. Zentralbl. Bakteriol. Mikrobiol. Hyg.I. Abt Orig. C2:166-178 |
| The Prokaryotes | |
| Bergey's Systematatic | p 2183 K.O. Stetter |
| Bergey's Determinative | p 721 |
| References |