Answer to Question #295185 in Microbiology for Mich

Question

Ana wants to engineer a super archaea which can survive and thrive in extremely hot and hypersaline water. What characteristics should she use to achieve the organism? Provide at least 3.

Answer 1

Archaea have plasma membrane made of phospholipids that are composed of glycerol ether-lipids. these unique feature offers Archae bacteria ability to resist extreme conditions.

Thermophilic proteins tend to have a prominent hydrophobic core and increased electrostatic interactions to maintain activity at higher temperatures. Halophilic proteins are characterized by increased negative surface charge due to increased acidic amino acid content and peptide insertions, which compensates for extreme ionic conditions.