You are studying a new species never before studied. It lives in acidic pools in volcanic craters where temperatures reach 100°c
. You determine that it has a surface enzyme that catalyzes a reaction leading to its protective coating. You decide to study this enzyme in the laboratory. Under what conditions would you most likely find optimum activity of this enzyme?
In order to study an enzyme, or any trait of an extremophile microorganisms, you must try to replicate their natural ennvironment conditions. It means, you need to approach the 100 °C temperature, and measure this acidic pH to be sure which you need to use for your experiment. Besides, if it is suspected that the protective coating production is catalized by this enzyme, you really need to stress the cells soy they produce it.
