Summary of ThermusQ

Topic

10, Sep., 2024: We held a study meeting on microbial evolution at the "Onjuku Training Center" of Chiba Institute of Technology, co-hosted by the "Research Group on Origin and Evolution of Primary Biomaterials for Common Cellular Activities" and the "ThermusQ Research Group." The recipients of the Outstanding Poster Awards are as follows: "Oshima Award: Yuki Shibano (Chiba Institute of Technology, Prof. Nemoto group)", and "ThermusQ Award: Mirei Mabuchi (Ochanomizu University, Prof. Yura group)."
22, Aug., 2024: A new feature of ThermusQ, The metabolite page has been added. Currently, 225 metabolites including common metabolites in many organisms are listed.

ThermusQ is an initiative to gather all the information on Thermus thermophilus, to integrate all those pieces of information and to biuld a simulator of T. thermophilus that help understand the molecular mechanisms of life in the organism.

T. thermophilus is an extreme thermophile that grows optimally between 70 and 75°C. The bacterium was first isolated by Dr. Tairo Oshima "on 23rd September 1968, from a hot spring (80°C, pH 6.3) at Mine, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan" (quoted from Tairo OSHIMA and Kazutomo IMAHORI (1974) Description of Thermus thermophilus (Yoshida and Oshima) comb. nov., a Nonsporulating Thermophilic Bacterium from a Japanese Thermal Spa, International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology, 24 (1), 102-112). Mine Onsen hot spring is located at 34.7569 N and 138.9825 E. This finding triggered excavation of many T. thermophilus strains worldwide. Strains HB8 and HB27, which were isolated from Mine Onsen hot spring, have been extensively studied, making much use of their high thermostability. The genome sequences of strains HB8 and HB27 including plasmids were determined in 2004. The determination of genome sequences of other strains, such as JL-18, TMY, TTHNAR1, HC11, HB5018, AA2-20, AA2-29 and so forth, has followed. HB8 is considered as a type strain in the research community.

Dr. Tairo Oshima at Izu

High thermostability has promoted the study of macromolecules in T. thermophilus and more than 20% of proteins of the bacterium have known three-dimensional (3D) structures. The 3D structures of about 66% proteins can be predicted with high precision. The genetics and biochemistry based on genome and structurome data further advanced the study of this bacterium, which can have many applications to life science research.

The studies of T. thermophilus conducted worldwide aim many different targets and hence data of different scopes have been produced since 1974. Once these data as well as the knowledged complied in the researchers are gathered and integrated, the whole view of T. thermophilus should be implemented on a computer that may enable simulation of the organism. Or the type of missing data can be unveiled for the understanding of T. thermophilus. ThermusQ initiative first aims to gather all the data as well as the knowledge compiled in the researchers, then to integrate these data and knowledge and to make a platform for the data simulation of T. thermophilus that help understand the molecular mechanisms of life in T. thermophilus.