Halobacterium+salinarum

=**Halobacterium salinarum**=



Classifacation:

 * Domain: || ﻿Archaea ||
 * Kingdom: || Euryarchaeota ||
 * Phylum: || Euryarchaeot ||
 * Class: || Halobacteria ||
 * Order: || Halobacteriales ||
 * Family: || Halobacteriaceae ||
 * Genus: || //Halobacterium// ﻿ ||
 * Species: || //**H. salinarium**// ||

Description:
Rod-shaped microorganisms that are some of the oldest forms of life still alive, they appeared on earth billions of years ago. They have no cell wall,. so they are classified as gram-negative. The membrane consists of a single lipid bilayer surrounded by an S-layer. These proteins form a lattice in the membrane.

Unique Features:
A sample of a close genetic relative of //H. salinarum// encapsulated in salt has allowed for the recovery of DNA fragments estimated at 121 million years old. Oddly, the material had been also recovered earlier, but it proved to be so similar to the modern descendants that scientists had believed the earlier samples were contaminated.

Type of Cell:
Eukaryote

Type of Reproduction:
Asexual

Autotroph or Heterotroph?
Autotroph, amino acids are the main source of chemical energy for Halobacterium salinarum, particularly arginineand aspartate, though they are able to metabolize other amino acids also.

Symbiotic Relationships:

 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Can be a source of insight for microbial adaptation to extreme conditions.
 * <span style="color: #2da2bf; font-family: 'Wingdings 3'; font-size: 11px; left: -2.61%; position: absolute; top: 0.43em;">} <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Is a halophile, a type of extremophile that needs 0.2 molarity concentration of salt to grow

Habitat:
Can be found in the Great Salt Lake in Utah and the Red Sea in Asia Minor.

=Interesting Facts:= Repairs DNA faster then other organisms and that allows them more UV toleration
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Possible candidate for life form on Mars, since a problem with life on Mars is the destructive UV light, it has the advantage here
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Is a halophile, a type of extremophile that needs 0.2 molarity concentration of salt to grow
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Responds to light and senses oxygen
 * 4) They are exposted to a high amount of UV radiation, to compensate they evolved a sophisticated DNA repair mechanism.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">

 * <span style="color: #2da2bf; font-family: 'Wingdings 3'; font-size: 11px; left: -2.63%; position: absolute; top: 0.43em;">} <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Halobacterium Salinarum - Overview." //MPI of Biochemistry//. Web. 15 June. 2011. <http://www.biochem.mpg.de/en/eg/oesterhelt/web_page_list/Org_Hasal/index.html>.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> } "Halobacterium Salinarum." //OJODIGITAL.COM//. Web. 15 June. 2011. <http://www.ojodigital.com/foro/paisajes/302330-halobacterium-salinarum.html>.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> } "Halobacterium Salinarum." //The Panda's Thumb//. Web. 15 June. 2011. <http://pandasthumb.org/archives/2009/08/post-36.html>.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> } Koning, Ross E. "Kingdom Archaea." //Home Page for Ross Koning//. 1994. Web. 15 June. 2011. <http://plantphys.info/organismal/lechtml/archaea.shtml>.