Overview of the Genes Associated with Polyextremophiles

Polyextremophiles are known to be a class of organisms that have the extraordinary ability to survive in multiple extreme environmental conditions. Their genetic makeup is what has set them apart from other Archaea and extremophiles in general. Among extremophiles, acido, thermo, halo, and similar other groups of organisms have already been discovered. These organisms have a unique composition of genes that help them survive in such extremities. Organisms such as thermoacidophiles, besides surviving in high temperatures, can also thrive in extremely low pH. Thus, these adaptations give us a glimpse of highly stable genetic content as well as metabolic flexibility in polyextremophiles. The maintenance of homeostasis in polyextremophiles such as thermoalkaliphiles and haloacidophiles is a great mystery for microbiologists. Membrane proteins, chaperons, and DNA repair proteins are greatly altered from that of their mesophilic counterparts. Thus, in this following chapter, we will try to analyze the genetic parameters that help these organisms create and exist in their own niche.