INDUSTRIAL & ENVIRONMENTAL

BIOTECHNOLOGY
Course # KIBGE-707

AFSHEEN AMAN, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Industrial Biotechnology Section
Dr. A.Q. Khan Institute of Biotechnology & Genetic
Engineering (KIBGE)
University of Karachi
EXTREMOPHILES
Course # KIBGE-707
 What are Extremophiles?
An extremophile (from Latin extremus meaning "extreme"
and Greek philiā meaning "love") is an organism that thrives
in and even may require physically or geochemically
extreme conditions that are detrimental to the majority of life
on Earth.

 Extreme environment once thought to be too hostile to

permit the survival of living organisms, are the natural
habitat of certain microorganisms known as ‘extremophiles’.

 The microorganisms that have the ability to resist or

withstand extreme environmental conditions.

 1980s and 1990s, biologists found that microbial life has an

amazing flexibility for surviving in extreme environments
Extremophiles can survive in:
 Cold of the Arctic and Antarctic
 Volcanic vents on land
 Ocean floor
 Very dry (hot/cold) places
 Hot volcanic vents of the deep ocean
 Rocks, deep inside the Earth
 Severe chemical environments harmful to most
life-forms
 High-radiation environments, such as on the
control rods of nuclear power plants
Extremophiles can be classified according to the
environment in which they survive.
 Categories of Extremophiles
Acidophile An organism with an optimum pH
level at or below pH 3 eg: Picrophilus
oshimae (Archaea)
(Opt.:0.7) Habitat: Acidic hot springs, acidic
fields and acidic sulfur pyrite areas.
Alkaliphile An organism with optimal growth at
pH levels of 9 or above eg:
Natronobacterium gregoryi (Archaea)
(Opt.:10) Habitat: Alkaline hot springs,
carbonate springs, alkaline soils, and soda
lakes.
Thermophile An organism that can thrive at
temperatures between 60-80°C
Hyperthermophile An organism that can thrive
at temperatures between 80–122°C eg:
Pyrolobus fumarii (Archaea) (Opt.:106°C)
Habitat: Hot, under sea hydrothermal vents
Halophile An organism requiring at least 0.2M
concentrations of salt (NaCl) for growth eg:
Halobacterium salinarum (Archaea)
(Opt.: 25 %) Habitat: highly saline lakes or
Salterns
Psychrophile/Cryophile An organism that
grows better at temperatures of 15°C or
lower; common in eg: Polaromonas
vacuolata (Bacteria) (Opt.: 4°C)
Habitat: Sea-ice, cold soils, permafrost,
polar ice, cold ocean water, and in or under
alpine snowpack

Xerophile An organism that can grow in

extremely dry, desiccating conditions.
Barophlies An organism that lives optimally
at high hydrostatic pressure; common in
the deep terrestrial subsurface, as well as
in oceanic trenches eg: MT41 Mariana
Trench-41 (Bacteria) (Opt.: 700 atm)
Habitat: Deep ocean sediments
Metalotolerant capable of tolerating high
levels of dissolved heavy metals in
solution, such as copper, cadmium,
arsenic, and zinc eg: Ferroplasma sp. and
Ralstonia metallidurans
Endolith An organism that lives in
microscopic spaces within rocks, such as
pores between aggregate grains; these may
also be called cryptoendoliths.

Hypolith An organism that lives inside rocks

in cold deserts.

Oligotroph An organism capable of growth in

nutritionally limited environments.
Osmophile An organism capable of growth
in environments with a high sugar
concentration.
Polyextremophile An organism that
qualifies as an extremophile under more
than one category.
Radioresistant Organisms resistant to high
levels of ionizing radiation, most
commonly ultraviolet radiation, but also
including organisms capable of resisting
nuclear radiation.
Genetic Adaptations: Key To Extreme Microbe's
Survival In Challenging Environment
 Microorganisms can thrive at these extreme
conditions must adapt to fluctuations in
temperature and oxygen levels
eg: Nautilia profundicola
 Survives near deep-sea hydrothermal vents.
 Genome analysis with physiological and
ecological observations it was found that a gene,
called rgy, allows the bacterium to manufacture a
protein called reverse gyrase when it encounters
extremely hot fluids from the earth's interior.
 Applications
Cold Environment: Cold-loving organisms
have started to interest manufacturers
for the development of :
 Enzymes that work at refrigerator
temperatures.
 Food processing companies whose
products often require cold
temperatures to avoid spoilage
 Producers of fragrances that evaporate
at high temperatures
 Manufacturers of cold-wash laundry
detergents
Acidic Environments:
Potential applications of acid-tolerant
extremozymes range from catalysts for
the synthesis of compounds in an acidic
solution to additives for animal feed,
which are intended to work in the
stomachs of animals. These enzymes
improve the digestibility of inexpensive
grains
Environments
Alkaliphiles, just like acidophiles,
maintain neutral pH in their interior,
and their extremozymes are located
on or near the cell surface and in
external secretions. This feature
makes alkaliphiles suitable for
producing detergents.
THANK YOU