The organism T. thermophilus HB8 (Thermus thermophilus HB8) is a Gram-negative eubacterium that grows in a natural thermal environment with temperatures ranging from 50 to 82 degrees Centigrade. Unlike other extreme anaerobic thermophiles, the Thermus species are an exception, as they are strict aerobic chemorganotrophs. Although aerobic, T. thermophilus HB8 can also grow under anaerobic conditions in the presence of nitrate due to synthesis of the nitrate reductase complex encoded by the nar operon. Expression from this operon is induced under low oxygen concentrations only when nitrate is present. Thermophilic organisms, like the vast majority of other microorganisms, accumulate compatible solutes in response to water stress imposed by salt (Ref.1 & 2). These Gram-negative bacteria employ a type of conserved [...]