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Deinococcus-Thermus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Bacteria;
Phylum:	Deinococcus-Thermus;
Class:	Deinococci; L. Margulis & K.V. Schwartz, 1998
Orders & Genera
	Deinococcales; Deinococcus; Thermales; Thermus; Meiothermus; Marinithermus; Oceanithermus; Vulcanithermus

The Deinococcus-Thermus are a small group of bacteria composed of cocci^{[citation needed]} highly resistant to environmental hazards.^[1]

There are two main groups.

The Deinococcales include a single genus, Deinococcus, with several species that are resistant to radiation; they have become famous for their ability to eat nuclear waste and other toxic materials, survive in the vacuum of space and survive extremes of heat and cold.
The Thermales include several genera resistant to heat. Thermus aquaticus was important in the development of the polymerase chain reaction where repeated cycles of heating DNA to near boiling make it advantageous to use a thermo-stable DNA polymerase enzyme.

Though these two groups evolved from a common ancestor, the two mechanisms of resistance appear to be largely independent.^[2]

These bacteria have thick cell walls that give them gram-positive stains, but they include a second membrane and so are closer in structure to those of gram-negative bacteria.

Cavalier-Smith calls this clade Hadobacteria^[3] (from Hades, the Greek underworld).

[edit] References

^ Griffiths E, Gupta RS (September 2007). "Identification of signature proteins that are distinctive of the Deinococcus-Thermus phylum". Int. Microbiol. 10 (3): 201–8. PMID 18076002. http://www.im.microbios.org/1003/1003201.pdf.
^ Omelchenko MV, Wolf YI, Gaidamakova EK, et al (2005). "Comparative genomics of Thermus thermophilus and Deinococcus radiodurans: divergent routes of adaptation to thermophily and radiation resistance". BMC Evol. Biol. 5: 57. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-5-57. PMID 16242020. PMC 1274311. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/5/57.
^ Cavalier-Smith T (2006). "Rooting the tree of life by transition analyses". Biol. Direct 1: 19. doi:10.1186/1745-6150-1-19. PMID 16834776. PMC 1586193. http://www.biology-direct.com/content/1//19.

[pmid18076002-0] Griffiths E, Gupta RS (September 2007). "Identification of signature proteins that are distinctive of the Deinococcus-Thermus phylum". Int. Microbiol. 10 (3): 201–8. PMID 18076002. http://www.im.microbios.org/1003/1003201.pdf.

[pmid16242020-1] Omelchenko MV, Wolf YI, Gaidamakova EK, et al (2005). "Comparative genomics of Thermus thermophilus and Deinococcus radiodurans: divergent routes of adaptation to thermophily and radiation resistance". BMC Evol. Biol. 5: 57. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-5-57. PMID 16242020. PMC 1274311. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/5/57.

[pmid16834776-2] Cavalier-Smith T (2006). "Rooting the tree of life by transition analyses". Biol. Direct 1: 19. doi:10.1186/1745-6150-1-19. PMID 16834776. PMC 1586193. http://www.biology-direct.com/content/1//19.

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