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\f0\fs24 \cf0 Hydrothermal vents are geothermally-heated deep ocean fissures that stretch 1 to 3 kilometers
from the ocean surface down to the magma chambers. Hydrothermal vents and their hydrothermal
plume or eruptions contain a large biodiversity of microorganisms including the Pyrococcus
furiosus archaea. Although the hydrothermal vent itself provides an oxygen-free, warm
environment, upon release from the vent, P. furiosus are presented with cold and oxygen-rich
environmental stressors. Radical oxygen species are sometimes toxic for these anaerobic microorganisms
so they often need to protect themselves with a biochemical defense mechanism called the
superoxide reductase pathway. The SOR pathway employs superoxide reductase and other genes,
and produces the SOR enzyme to chemically convert reactive oxygen species to harmless
water molecules via an intermediate hydrogen peroxide. In this experiment, we found that
while there was an increase in expression of these genes when both a cold stress and
oxidative stress were present. Consequently, we present an analysis of our initial results
invoking terms familiar from computer science, namely an OR gate as opposed to an AND gate
of cold and stress factors. Further study and elucidation of SOR pathways in P. furiosus
archaea can lead to a more detailed understanding of unique microbes and enzymes for applications
in diverse fields such as disease prevention and energy production.}