Karl Stetter
Encyclopedia
Karl Otto Stetter is a German microbiologist
and authority on astrobiology
. He is an expert on microbial life at high temperatures.
and studied biology
at the Technische Universität Munich. He wrote his doctoral dissertation on lactobacilli
. From 1980 to 2002 he was professor at, and head of, the department of microbiology and of the Archaea
center of the University of Regensburg
.
The majority of Professor Stetter's research has focused on sampling, isolating and characterizing archaeal organisms which comprise the third domain
of life, particularly undiscovered extremely heat-loving (hyperthermophilic) bacteria and Archaea
, also called extremophile
s, growing optimally between 80 and 113°C.
equitans, an archaeal microorganism containing the world's smallest known genome
, was discovered by Stetter in 2002 in a hydrothermal vent
off the coast of Iceland
. This archaebacterium was described in the scientific journal Nature in May 2002.
, which was found on the Italian island of Vulcano in 1981. This extremophile was the source of Pfu DNA polymerase. Stetter also discovered Aquifex aeolicus
and Aquifex pyrophilus
.
by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
, an award given every 10 years to the scientist who has made the most outstanding contributions to the advancement of microbiology.
Professor Stetter is member of the
Microbiologist
A microbiologist is a scientist who works in the field of microbiology. Microbiologists study organisms called microbes. Microbes can take the form of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protists...
and authority on astrobiology
Astrobiology
Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. This interdisciplinary field encompasses the search for habitable environments in our Solar System and habitable planets outside our Solar System, the search for evidence of prebiotic chemistry,...
. He is an expert on microbial life at high temperatures.
Career
Stetter was born in MunichMunich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and studied biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
at the Technische Universität Munich. He wrote his doctoral dissertation on lactobacilli
Lactobacillus
Lactobacillus is a genus of Gram-positive facultative anaerobic or microaerophilic rod-shaped bacteria. They are a major part of the lactic acid bacteria group, named as such because most of its members convert lactose and other sugars to lactic acid. They are common and usually benign...
. From 1980 to 2002 he was professor at, and head of, the department of microbiology and of the Archaea
Archaea
The Archaea are a group of single-celled microorganisms. A single individual or species from this domain is called an archaeon...
center of the University of Regensburg
University of Regensburg
The University of Regensburg is a public research university located in the medieval city of Regensburg, Bavaria, a city that is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university was founded on July 18, 1962 by the Landtag of Bavaria as the fourth full-fledged university in Bavaria...
.
The majority of Professor Stetter's research has focused on sampling, isolating and characterizing archaeal organisms which comprise the third domain
Domain (biology)
In biological taxonomy, a domain is the highest taxonomic rank of organisms, higher than a kingdom. According to the three-domain system of Carl Woese, introduced in 1990, the Tree of Life consists of three domains: Archaea, Bacteria and Eukarya...
of life, particularly undiscovered extremely heat-loving (hyperthermophilic) bacteria and Archaea
Archaea
The Archaea are a group of single-celled microorganisms. A single individual or species from this domain is called an archaeon...
, also called extremophile
Extremophile
An extremophile is an organism that thrives in physically or geochemically extreme conditions that are detrimental to most life on Earth. In contrast, organisms that live in more moderate environments may be termed mesophiles or neutrophiles...
s, growing optimally between 80 and 113°C.
Major discovery
NanoarchaeumNanoarchaeum
Nanoarchaeum equitans is a species of tiny microbe, discovered in 2002 in a hydrothermal vent off the coast of Iceland by Karl Stetter. Since it grows in temperatures approaching boiling, it is considered to be a thermophile. Nanoarchaeum appears to be an obligatory symbiont on the archaeon...
equitans, an archaeal microorganism containing the world's smallest known genome
Genome
In modern molecular biology and genetics, the genome is the entirety of an organism's hereditary information. It is encoded either in DNA or, for many types of virus, in RNA. The genome includes both the genes and the non-coding sequences of the DNA/RNA....
, was discovered by Stetter in 2002 in a hydrothermal vent
Hydrothermal vent
A hydrothermal vent is a fissure in a planet's surface from which geothermally heated water issues. Hydrothermal vents are commonly found near volcanically active places, areas where tectonic plates are moving apart, ocean basins, and hotspots. Hydrothermal vents exist because the earth is both...
off the coast of Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
. This archaebacterium was described in the scientific journal Nature in May 2002.
Discoveries
Among the other extremophiles discovered by Dr Stetter has been Pyrococcus furiosusPyrococcus furiosus
Pyrococcus furiosus is an extremophilic species of Archaea. It can be classified as a hyperthermophile because it thrives best under extremely high temperatures—higher than those preferred of a thermophile...
, which was found on the Italian island of Vulcano in 1981. This extremophile was the source of Pfu DNA polymerase. Stetter also discovered Aquifex aeolicus
Aquifex aeolicus
Aquifex aeolicus is a rod-shaped prokaryote with a length of 2 to 6 micrometers and a diameter of around half a micrometer. It is one of a handful of species in the Aquificae phylum, an unusual group of thermophilic bacteria that are thought to be some of the oldest species of bacteria.A...
and Aquifex pyrophilus
Aquifex pyrophilus
Aquifex pyrophilus is a rod-shaped bacterium with a length of 2 to 6 micrometers and a diameter of around half a micrometer. It is one of a handful of species in the Aquificae phylum, an unusual group of thermophilic bacteria that are thought to be some of the oldest species in the bacteria domain.A...
.
Awards and memberships
In 2003, Stetter was honored with the Leeuwenhoek MedalLeeuwenhoek Medal
The Leeuwenhoek Medal, established in 1877 by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, , in honor of the 17th- and 18th-century microscopist Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, is granted every ten years to the scientist judged to have made the most significant contribution to microbiology during...
by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences is an organisation dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands...
, an award given every 10 years to the scientist who has made the most outstanding contributions to the advancement of microbiology.
Professor Stetter is member of the
- Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher LeopoldinaGerman Academy of Natural Scientists LeopoldinaThe Leopoldina is the national academy of Germany.Historically it was known under the German name Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina until 2007, when it was declared the national academy of Germany.The Leopoldina is currently located in Halle...
- American Society of Microbiology (ASM)
- Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics and Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Science (IGPP), UCLA
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hygiene und Mikrobiologie (DGHM)
- Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (GDCh)
- Gesellschaft Deutscher Naturforscher und Ärzte
- Gesellschaft für Biologische Chemie (GBCh)
- International Committee on Environmental Biogeochemistry (ISEB)
- International Committee on Systematic Bacteriology (ICSB)
- International Institute of Biotechnology
- International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life (ISSOL)
- Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Vereinigung für Allgemeine und Angewandte Mikrobiologie (VAAM)
External links
- Professor Dr. Karl O. Stetter (homepage at University of Regensburg)
- Archaea