Extreme thermophiles: moving beyond single-enzyme biocatalysis

Extremely thermophilic microorganisms have been sources of thermostable and thermoactive enzymes for over 30 years. However, information and insights gained from genome sequences, in conjunction with new tools for molecular genetics, have opened up exciting new possibilities for biotechnological opportunities based on extreme thermophiles that go beyond single-step biotransformations. Although the pace for discovering novel microorganisms has slowed over the past two decades, genome sequence data have provided clues to novel biomolecules and metabolic pathways, which can be mined for a range of new applications. Furthermore, recent advances in molecular genetics for extreme thermophiles have made metabolic engineering for high temperature applications a reality.

► New developments in the use of extremely thermophilic microorganisms and enzymes are discussed.
► New discoveries, particularly of mixed communities of extreme thermophiles, have been reported.
► New genetics tools have opened up the possibility of metabolic engineering at high temperatures.