Thermobifida fusca YX

Thermobifida fusca, formerly known as Thermomonaspora fusca, is a moderate thermophilic soil bacterium (growth temperature 55 degrees Celsius) that is a major degrader of plant cell walls in heated organic materials such as compost heaps, rotting hay, manure piles or mushroom growth medium. It produces spores, which can be allergenic and causes the Farmer's lung disease (extrinsic allergic alveolitis). Its extracellular enzymes, including cellulases, have been studied because of their thermostability, broad pH range and high activity. It appears to degrade all major plant cell wall polymers except lignin and pectin and is able to grow on most simple sugars and carboxylic acids. Six different cellulases have been identified. Secreted cellulases have great biotechnological promise for utilization in the degradation of agricultural products and waste to produce sugars that can be subsequently converted to ethanol. Thermobifida fusca has a complete set of proteins comprising a sec system as well as the TAT system. Eight ABC disaccharide transporter cassettes were identified. A siderophore transport system, a siderophore biosynthesis cluster as well as a ferrous iron transport protein were identified. There are also four additional heavy metal transport systems. Thermobifida fusca is able to synthesize and metabolize saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, as well as phospholipids, glycolipids and isoprenoids. (EBI Integr8)