Pyrococcus abyssi
| Pyrococcus abyssi | |
|---|---|
| Active site of a thermoactive nitrilase from Pyrococcus abyssi detailing the Cys-Glu-Lys catalytic triad. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Archaea |
| Kingdom: | Methanobacteriati |
| Phylum: | Methanobacteriota |
| Class: | Thermococci |
| Order: | Thermococcales |
| Family: | Thermococcaceae |
| Genus: | Pyrococcus |
| Species: | P. abyssi |
| Binomial name | |
| Pyrococcus abyssi Erauso et al. 1993 | |
Pyrococcus abyssi is a hyperthermophilic archaeon isolated from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent in the North Fiji Basin at 2,000 metres (6,600 ft). It is anaerobic, sulfur-metabolizing, gram-negative, coccus-shaped and highly motile. Its optimum growth temperature is 96 °C (205 °F). Its type strain is GE5 (CNCM I-1302). Pyrococcus abyssi has been used as a model organism in studies of DNA polymerase. This species can also grow at high cell densities in bioreactors.