Thermus aquaticus Y51MC23 Genome sequencing. Thermus aquaticus Y51MC23

Thermus aquaticus holds a special place in the archives of microbiology. The thermophile was first isolated from a hot spring in Yellowstone National Park as described by Brock in 1969. The discovery of life at high temperatures was controversial at that time, but quite prevalent as demonstrated by the isolation of Thermus strains from hot water heaters and other sources. The subsequent discovery and characterization of Thermus aquaticus DNA polymerase resulted in the development of amplification and sequencing tools that have revolutionized nearly every field of biology and medicine.