There is considerable interest in thermophile microorganisms, in their
environments, their ability to survive at temperatures which normally
denature proteins, but more importantly, as a valuable resource for bio-
technology. The first reported isolation of Thermus by Tom Brock was in
1969. This initiated the present era of thermophilic research with the
realization that where liquid water is available, there may be no limits
to the temper- ature at which microorganisms can grow. Considerable
research into the ecology, physiology, metabolism, and thermostable
enzymes of thermo- philes has led to their evaluation for a range of
industrial and commercial processes. The past fifteen years have been an
explosive period of dis- covery of many new genera and species,
including the descriptions of a new fundamental kingdom-the Archaea.
Much of the current research has been focused on the Archaea; but it is
significant that during this period, the original type strain YT-l of
Thermus aquaticus described by Brock has provided a major step forward
in molecular biology. DNA polymerase from strain YT-I has proved to be
the major success in the commercialization of enzymes from thermophilic
microorganisms to date. The ease with which Thermus strains can be
handled in laboratories without specialized equipment, together with the
large investment in de- scribing their structure, metabolism, and
genetics, should ensure a con- tinuing effort in Thermus research.