[4] Morphology Mature "A. aeolicus" cells are typically rod-shaped bacterium with an approximate length of 2.0-6.0μm and a diameter of 0.4-0.5μm.
[5] Metabolism As an autotroph, "A. aeolicus" has the ability to obtain all necessary carbon by fixing CO2 from the environment and utilizes molecular hydrogen as an electron/energy source.
[1][5] Additionally, this bacterium utilizes a reductive TCA cycleas it provides the substrates of many bio synthetic pathways.
[1] In response to oxidative stress, "A. aeolicus" possesses protective enzymes such as superoxide and peroxide to counter harmful oxygen species.
[2] Comparison of the "Aquifex aeolicus" genome to other organisms showed that around 16% of its genes originated from the Archaea domain.
Multiple enzymes have been identified for potential future use due to their high stability and capacity to oxidize molecular hydrogen, producing byproducts of heat and water.
The cage-forming enzyme has been explored as potential drug delivery nano carrier as it was engineered to encapsulate other molecules.