[1] Members of the genus Thermococcus are typically irregularly shaped coccoid species, ranging in size from 0.6 to 2.0 μm in diameter.
[4] Species under Thermococcus typically thrive at temperatures between 60 and 105 °C,[5] either in the presence of black smokers (hydrothermal vents), or freshwater springs.
[11] Members of this genus have been found in many hydrothermal vent systems in the world, including from the seas of Japan,[12] to off the coasts of California.
[28] With today's technology, Thermococcus members are relatively easy to grow in labs,[29] and are therefore considered model organisms for studying the physiological and molecular pathways of extremophiles.
[31][32][33] Thermococcal species can grow between 60 and 102 °C, optimal temperature at 85 °C which gives them a great ecological advantage to be the first organisms to colonize new hydrothermal environments.
These conditions lead to the production of stress proteins and molecular chaperones that protect DNA as well as housekeeping cellular machinery.
[5] This type of continuous enrichment culture plays a crucial role in the ecology of deep-sea hydrothermal vents,[36] suggesting that thermococci interact with other organisms via metabolite exchange, which supports the growth of autotrophs.
[38] These MVs are secreted from the cells in clusters, forming nanospheres or nanotubes,[39] keeping the internal membranes continuous.
[38] Furthermore, these MVs are used by a specific species (Thermococcus coalescens) to indicate when aggregation should occur,[38] so these typically single-celled miroorganisms can fuse into one massive single cell.
[40] The DNA molecule is a circular structure consisting of about 2 million base pairs in length, and has more than 2,000 sequences that code for proteins.
[42] This information is useful for drug companies, because abnormal PSP activity leads to a major decrease in serine levels of the nervous system, causing neurological diseases and complications.