Extremely thermophilic energy metabolisms: biotechnological prospects

• New genetic tools for extremely thermophilic organisms create metabolic engineering capabilities akin to those long available for model microorganisms.
• Extremely thermophilic organisms contain unique metabolic features, including carbon fixation and chemolithotrophic pathways, which can be exploited for biotechnological products.
• Life at high temperature creates shifts in thermodynamic equilibria not available in mesophilic organisms.

New strategies for metabolic engineering of extremely thermophilic microorganisms to produce bio-based fuels and chemicals could leverage pathways and physiological features resident in extreme thermophiles for improved outcomes. Furthermore, very recent advances in genetic tools for these microorganisms make it possible for them to serve as metabolic engineering hosts. Beyond providing a higher temperature alternative to mesophilic platforms, exploitation of strategic metabolic characteristics of high temperature microorganisms grants new opportunities for biotechnological products. This review considers recent developments in extreme thermophile biology as they relate to new horizons for energy biotechnology.

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