Fundamentals of cold-adapted enzymes

Abstract

As already discussed in the preceding chapters, life at low temperatures is abundant, diverse and widespread, with organisms from all three domains of life being represented. Bacteria and archaea at thermal equilibrium with their environment are found to be preponderant, and these cold-adapted, or psychrophilic, microorganisms have been found to not only endure, but to flourish under the harsh conditions of permanently low-temperatures. In fact, for some, this environment is not only optimal, but mandatory for sustained cell proliferation, with moderate to high temperatures (e.g., >12°C) being deleterious (Xu et al. 2003c). © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.