Thermophile

A thermophile is an organism whose growth is favored by high temperatures, typically above those tolerated by most life. Many are microorganisms adapted to hot environments.

Thermostability: The ability of a molecule or structure to retain its function at elevated temperatures. Thermophiles depend on heat-resistant cellular components to keep metabolism working.
Taq polymerase: A heat-stable DNA polymerase isolated from the bacterium Thermus aquaticus. Its ability to withstand repeated heating made it central to early PCR.
Microorganism: An organism too small to be seen clearly without magnification, including bacteria, archaea, and many eukaryotes. Most well-studied thermophiles are microorganisms, though heat preference is not limited to them.
Psychrophile: An organism whose growth is favored by cold temperatures. Psychrophiles occupy the opposite thermal extreme from thermophiles.
Extremozymes: Enzymes adapted to function under extreme conditions such as high temperature, acidity, or salinity. Thermophilic enzymes remain active where ordinary enzymes lose their structure.
Polymerase chain reaction: A laboratory method that amplifies specific DNA sequences through repeated cycles of heating and cooling. PCR depends on a heat-stable polymerase originally obtained from a thermophile.
Thermal niche: The range of temperatures in which an organism can survive, grow, and reproduce. A thermophile is defined by the temperatures that favor its growth.
Mesophile: An organism whose growth is favored at moderate temperatures. Mesophiles generally thrive below the temperatures favored by thermophiles.
Archaeal membrane: A cell membrane built from ether-linked lipids, characteristic of Archaea. Some thermophilic Archaea use unusually stable membrane lipids to resist heat.
Thermostable enzyme: An enzyme that retains substantial structure and activity at elevated temperatures. Thermophiles are a major source of enzymes suited to heat-intensive processes.

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