Alkaliphile

For example, alkalinity can lead to denaturation of DNA, instability of the plasma membrane and inactivation of cytosolic enzymes, as well as other unfavorable physiological changes.

[2] Thus, to adequately circumvent these obstacles, alkaliphiles must either possess specific cellular machinery that works best in the alkaline range, or they must have methods of acidifying the cytosol in relation to the extracellular environment.

The determination that these enzymes function most efficiently near physiologically neutral pH ranges (about 7.5–8.5) was one of the primary steps in elucidating how alkaliphiles survive intensely basic environments.

In addition, the peptidoglycan in alkaliphilic B. subtilis has been observed to contain higher levels of hexosamines and amino acids as compared to its neutrophilic counterpart.

When alkaliphiles lose these acidic residues in the form of induced mutations, it has been shown that their ability to grow in alkaline conditions is severely hindered.

However, since alkaliphiles have a reversed pH gradient, it would seem that ATP production—which is based on a strong proton-motive force – would be severely reduced.

This increase in charge causes the production of greater amounts of ATP by each translocated proton when driven through an ATPase.