Sulfolobus acidocaldarius was first isolated from thermal soils and hot springs with low pH in the United States of America (specifically in the Yellowstone National Park), in El Salvador, Dominica and Italy.
[1] Sulfolobus acidocaldarius possess a mechanism of replication homologous to the eukaryotic ESCRT.
The genome of Sulfolobus acidocaldarius is very stable, with little, if any, rearrangements due to mobile elements.
[citation needed] The authors found the genes necessary for the synthesis of purines and pyrimidines, as well as for all amino acids except for selenocysteine.
[citation needed] UV-irradiation increases the frequency of recombination due to genetic exchange in S.
The pili encoded by this operon are employed in promoting cellular aggregation, which is necessary for subsequent DNA exchange between cells, resulting in homologous recombination.