Definition
Alkaliphiles are microorganisms that grow optimally or very well at pH values above 9, often between 10 and 12, but cannot grow or grow slowly at the near-neutral pH value of 6.5 (Horikoshi 1999).
Overview
There is no precise definition of what characterizes an alkaliphilic organism. Several microorganisms exhibit more than one optimum pH for growth depending on growth conditions, particularly nutrients, metal ions, and temperature. However, the definition given above is the most extended one.
Many different taxa are represented among the alkaliphiles, including prokaryotes (aerobic bacteria belonging to the genera Bacillus, Micrococcus, Pseudomonas, and Streptomyces; anaerobic bacteria from the genera Amphibacillus, Anaerobranca, and Clostridium; halophilic archaea belonging to the genera Halorubrum, Natrialba, Natronomonas, and Natronorubrum; methanogenic archaea from the genus Methanohalophilus; anaerobic archaea from the genus Thermococcus; cyanobacteria; spirochetes;...
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References and Further Reading
Aono R, Horikoshi K (1983) Chemical composition of cell walls of alkalophilic strains of Bacillus. J Gen Microbiol 129:1083–1087
Aono R, Ito M, Horikoshi K (1992) Instability of the protoplast membrane of facultative alkaliphilic Bacillus sp. C-125 at alkaline pH values below the pH optimum for growth. Biochem J 285:99–103
Aono R, Ito M, Horikoshi K (1997) Measurement of cytoplasmic pH of the alkaliphile Bacillus lentus C-125 with a fluorescent pH probe. Microbiology 143:2531–2536
Horikoshi K (1991) Microorganisms in alkaline environments. Kodansha-VCH, Tokyo
Horikoshi K (1998) Alkaliphiles. In: Horikoshi K, Grant WD (eds) Extremophiles: microbial life in extreme environments. Wiley-Liss, New York, pp 155–179
Horikoshi K (1999) Alkaliphiles: some applications of their products for biotechnology. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 63:735–750
Kobayashi T, Uchimura K, Miyazaki M, Nogi Y, Horikoshi K (2009) A new high-alkaline alginate lyase from a deep-sea bacterium Agarivorans sp. Extremophiles 13:121–129
Krulwich TA, Ito M, Hicks DB, Gilmour R, Guffanti AA (1998) pH Homeostasis and ATP synthesis: studies of two processes that necessitate inward proton translocation in extremely alkaliphilic Bacillus species. Extremophiles 2:217–222
Kudo T, Horikoshi K (1983) Effect of pH and sodium ion on germination of alkalophilic Bacillus species. Agric Biol Chem 47:665–669
Takami H, Inoue A, Fuji F, Horikoshi K (1997) Microbial flora in the deepest sea mud of the Mariana Trench. FEMS Microbiol Lett 152:279–285
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Ventosa, A., de la Haba, R.R. (2014). Alkaliphile. In: Amils, R., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_52-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_52-3
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