The Archaebacterium Thermofilum pendens Represents, a Novel Genus of the Thermophilic, Anaerobic Sulfur Respiring Thermoproteales.

Thermofilum pendens, an anaerobic, sulfur respiring archaebacterium representing a novel genus, possibly even a novel family, of the extremely thermophilic mildly acidophilic Thermoproteales, has been isolated from an Icelandic solfataric hot spring. The growth of the organism requires peptides, sulfur and H(2)S and, in addition, a fraction of the polar lipids of the distantly related archaebacterium Thermoproteus tenax devoid of phosphate. This fraction cannot be replaced by an analogous fraction from Thermoplasma acidophilum.