| Thermoplasma |
| SuperSet | Prokaryote, Archaea, Cell Wall-Less Archaeobacteria |
| Compare | Prokaryote, Eubacteria, Mycoplasmas (Mollicutes):Acholeplasma,
Anaeroplasma,
Asteroleplasma
anaerobium, Mycoplasma,
Spiroplasma,Ureaplasma Prokaryote, Archaea, Cell Wall-Less Archaeobacteria Thermoplasma |
| Contrast | Methanogens Cell Wall-Less Archaeobacteria Sulfate Reducing Archaeobacteria Halophilic Archaeobacteria Extremely Thermophilic Archaeobacteria |
| Subset | T. acidophilum T. Volcanicum |
| Morphology | Thermoplasma |
| CELLULAR |
| Staining | Gram-negative |
| Morphology | Pleomorphic, varying in shape from spherical (0.1-0.3 um) to filamentous structures. Cells lack a cell wall and are surrounded by a cytoplasmic membrane only, 7 nm thick and exhibiting a trilaminar shape in section. The membrane contains ether lipids based on 40-carbon, isopranoidbranched diglycerol tetraethers.. |
| Motility | Generally nonmotile |
| Specialized structures | . Resting stages not known |
| Division |
| COLONIAL |
| Solid surface | On agar at pH 2, colonies attain a diameter of about 0.3 mm, are dark brown in colour, flat, coarsely granular and some exhibit a typical "fried egg" appearance with a translucent peripheral zone. |
| Liquid |
| Growth Parameters | Thermoplasma |
| PHYSIOLOGICAL |
| Tropism | Apparently chemoogranotrophic |
| Oxygen | Strict aerobe |
| pH | Obligate thermoacidophile. pH 1-2. Cells undergo lysis near neutrality. |
| Temperature | Obligate thermoacidophile. Optimum growth at 55-59`C |
| Requirements | Do not require cholesterol but have an absolute requirement for yeast extract for growth and reproduction |
| Products | |
| Enzymes | |
| Unique features |
| ENVIRONMENTAL |
| Habitat | Occur free living in self-heating coal refuse piles. |
| Lifestyle | |
| Pathogenicity |
| Distribution |
| Genome | Thermoplasma |
| G+C Mol % | 46 (Bd, Tm) |
| Reference | Thermoplasma |
| First citation | Darland, G., T. D. Brock, W. Samsonoof and S.F. Conti 1970 A thermophile, acidiophilic mycoplasma isolated from a coal refuse pile. Science 170:1416-1418 |
| The Prokaryotes | p |
| Bergey's Systematatic | p 790 T. A. Langworthy and P. F. Smith |
| Bergey's Determinative | p 747 |