Insight into thermophiles and their wide-spectrum applications
3 Biotech (2016) 6:81
DOI 10.1007/s13205-016-0368-z
REVIEW ARTICLE
Insight into thermophiles and their wide-spectrum applications
Ridhi Mehta1 • Paavan Singhal1 • Hardeep Singh1 • Dhanashree Damle2 •
Anil K. Sharma1
Received: 29 August 2015 / Accepted: 8 January 2016 / Published online: 23 February 2016
Ó The Author(s) 2016. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com
Abstract The deconstruction of biomass is a pivotal process for the manufacture of target products using microbial
cells and their enzymes. But the enzymes that possess a
significant role in the breakdown of biomass remain relatively unexplored. Thermophilic microorganisms are of
special interest as a source of novel thermostable enzymes.
Many thermophilic microorganisms possess properties suitable for biotechnological and commercial use. There is,
indeed, a considerable demand for a new generation of
stable enzymes that are able to withstand severe conditions in
industrial processes by replacing or supplementing traditional
chemical processes. This manuscript reviews the pertinent
role of thermophilic microorganisms as a source for production of thermostable enzymes, factors afftecting them,
recent patents on thermophiles and moreso their wide spectrum applications for commercial and biotechnological use.
Keywords Thermophilic microorganisms
Thermostable enzymes Heat tolerance and biomass
Introduction
Organisms with an optimum temperature for growth
between 60 and 80 °C are generally designated as thermophiles, while those growing optimally above 80 °C are
& Anil K. Sharma
1
Department of Biotechnology, M.M. University, Mullana,
Ambala, Haryana 133207, India
2
Department of Orthodontics, M.M.Institute of Dental
Sciences & Research, M.M. University, Mullana, Ambala,
Haryana 133207, India
referred to as hyperthermophiles (Santos and Da Costa
2002). Thermophilic bacteria are microbes that mostly
inhabit hot springs, live and survive in temperatures above
70 °C. As a consequence of growth at high temperatures
and unique macromolecular properties, thermophiles can
possess high metabolism, physically and chemically
stable enzymes and lower growth but higher end product
yields than similar mesophilic species (Haki and Rakshit
2003) (Tables 1, 2).
Natural environments for anaerobic thermophiles range
from terrestrial volcanic sites (including solfatara fields)
with temperatures slightly above ambient temperature, to
submarine hydrothermal systems (sediments, submarine
volcanoes, fumaroles and vents) with temperatures
exceeding 300 °C, subterranean sites such as oil reservoirs,
and solar heated surface soils with temperatures up to
65 °C. There are also human-made hot environments such
as compost piles (usually around 60–70 °C but as high as
100 °C) slag heaps, industrial processes and water heaters
(Oshima and Moriya 2008).
The ubiquitous nature of the thermophiles is attested to
by the great variety of sources from which they have been
isolated from freshly fallen snow (Golikowa 1926) to the
sands of the Sahara Desert (Negre 1913). They have been
found to occur in the air (Sames 1900), the soil of temperate (Blau 1906; Gilbert 1904; Sames 1900) and tropical
(De Kruyff, 1910) regions, salt (MacFadyen and Blaxall
1896) and fresh water, both cold (Tirelli 1907; Catterina
1904) and thermal (Georgevitch 1910a, b; Falcioni 1907;
Benignetm 1905; Setchell 1903).
Factors affecting heat tolerance of thermophilic organisms are as follows:
1.
Permeability: cell membranes effectively function as a
permeability barrier, controlling the in-flow and out-
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Table 1 Thermophilic enzymes and their potential roles
Microorganisms
Enzymes
Temperature of
activity
Applications
References
Pyrococcus woesei
alpha-Amylases
Topt. = 100 °C
Sugar industry and starch
processing
Alqueres et al. (2007)
Thermococcus profundus
DT5432
alpha-Amylases
Topt. = 80 °C
Sugar industry and starch
processing
Eichler (2001), Antranikian
et al. (2005)
Staphylothermus marines
Pullulanases
Topt. = 90–105 °C
Sugar industry and starch
processing
Eichler (2001), Antranikian
et al. (2005)
Thermoplasma
acidophilum
Glucoamylases
Topt. = 90 °C
Sugar industry and starch
processing
Eichler (2001), Antranikian
et al. (2005)
Pyrococcus woesei
b-Galactosidases
Topt. = 93 °C
Production of milk with low
lactose content
Dabrowski et al. (1998)
Pyrococcus furiosus
Sulfolobales sp.
Cellulases
Topt. = 103 °C
Production of alcohol, fruit
industry
Antranikian et al. (2005)
Pyrodictium abyssi
Xylanases
Topt. = 100–110 °C Paper industry–bleaching of pulp
Egorova and Antranikian
(2005), Eichler (2001)
Humicola lanuginosa
strain Y-38
Lipases
Topt. = 65 °C
Laundry detergents
Arima et al. (1972)
Myceliophthora
thermophila
Laccases
Topt. = 60 °C
Polymerization of phenolic
Chefetz et al. (1998)
compounds to humic substances
Myceliophthora
thermophila
Phytases
Topt. = 42–45 °C
Animal feed
Wyss et al. (1999)
Penicillium duponti
glucose-6-phosphate
dehydrogenase
Topt. = 50 °C
Generation of NADPH for
biosynthetic reactions
Broad and Shepherd (1970)
Bacillus lichniformis
Alcalase
Topt. = 60 °C
Component of protein-fortified soft Synowiecki (2008)
drinks and dietetic food, helps
in protein recovery from
meat, fish and crustacean
shell waste
Table 2 Recent patents on thermophiles and their potential applications
S.
no
Topic
Patent number and date
Application
References
1
Single step bioconversion of
lignocellulosic biomass to
biofuels using extreme
thermophilic bacteria
US2014/0363869 A1 December
11, 2014
Bioconversion of lignocellulosic
biomass to biofuels
Curvers et al. (2014)
2
Thermophilic bacterium and uses US 8828238 B2 September 9,
of extracellular proteins
2014
therefrom
Fermentation of moderately
US 8,663,954 B2 March 4, 2014
thermophilic Bacilli on sucrose
Excellent metal ion binding ability
Han et al. (2014)
Genetic modification of moderately
thermophilic Bacillus strain to
utilise sucrose as a carbon source
Van Kranenburg et al.
(2014)
Degradation of organic pollutants
O’Driscoll et al. (2014)
3
4
Bioremediation of persistent
organic pollutants using
thermophilic bacteria
5
Phytase-producing bacteria,
US 6,180,390 B1 January 30,
phytase and production method
2001
of phytase
Role in animal feeding, environmental Chu et al. (2001)
protection, human nutrition and
health and industrial applications.
6
Process for producing modified
microorganisms for oil
treatment at high temperatures,
pressures and salinity
Used in microbial enhanced oil
recovery
123
US 2014/0042087 A1 February
13, 2014
US 5492828A February 20,
1996
Eugene et al. (1996)
3 Biotech (2016) 6:81
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Fig. 1 Various applications of
thermophilic microorganisms
Bioconversion of
xylose to ethanol
Thermoanaerobacter
ethanolicus
Remediation of
Textile Dyes
Geobacillus
thermocatenulatus
Breast Cancer
Treatment
Aspergillus terreus
Crude Oil
De (...truncated)
