A centimeter-long bacterium with DNA contained in metabolically active, membrane-bound organelles.

Cells of most bacterial species are around 2 micrometers in length, with some of the largest specimens reaching 750 micrometers. Using fluorescence, x-ray, and electron microscopy in conjunction with genome sequencing, we characterized Candidatus (Ca.) Thiomargarita magnifica, a bacterium that has an average cell length greater than 9000 micrometers and is visible to the naked eye. These cells grow orders of magnitude over theoretical limits for bacterial cell size, display unprecedented polyploidy of more than half a million copies of a very large genome, and undergo a dimorphic life cycle with asymmetric segregation of chromosomes into daughter cells. These features, along with compartmentalization of genomic material and ribosomes in translationally active organelles bound by bioenergetic membranes, indicate gain of complexity in the Thiomargarita lineage and challenge traditional concepts of bacterial cells.

Investigating the Mutagenicity of a Cold Argon-Plasma Jet in an HET-MN Model.

OBJECTIVE: So-called cold physical plasmas for biomedical applications generate reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and the latter can trigger DNA damage at high concentrations. Therefore, the mutagenic risks of a certified atmospheric pressure argon plasma jet (kINPen MED) and its predecessor model (kINPen 09) were assessed. METHODS: Inner egg membranes of fertilized chicken eggs received a single treatment with either the kINPen 09 (1.5, 2.0, or 2.5 min) or the kINPen MED (3, 4, 5, or 10 min). After three days of incubation, blood smears (panoptic May-Grünwald-Giemsa stain) were performed, and 1000 erythrocytes per egg were evaluated for the presence of polychromatic and normochromic nuclear staining as well as nuclear aberrations and binucleated cells (hen's egg test for micronuclei induction, HET-MN). At the same time, the embryo mortality was documented. For each experiment, positive controls (cyclophosphamide and methotrexate) and negative controls (NaCl-solution, argon gas) were included. Additionally, the antioxidant potential of the blood plasma was assessed by ascorbic acid oxidation assay after treatment. RESULTS: For both plasma sources, there was no evidence of genotoxicity, although at the longest plasma exposure time of 10 min the mortality of the embryos exceeded 40%. The antioxidant potential in the egg's blood plasma was not significantly reduced immediately (p = 0.32) or 1 h (p = 0.19) post exposure to cold plasma. CONCLUSION: The longest plasma treatment time with the kINPen MED was 5-10 fold above the recommended limit for treatment of chronic wounds in clinics. We did not find mutagenic effects for any plasma treatment time using the either kINPen 09 or kINPen MED. The data provided with the current study seem to confirm the lack of a genotoxic potential suggesting that a veterinary or clinical application of these argon plasma jets does not pose mutagenic risks.

Description of new filamentous toxic Cyanobacteria (Oscillatoriales) colonizing the sulfidic periphyton mat in marine mangroves.

In this multidisciplinary study, we combined morphological, physiological, and phylogenetic approaches to identify three dominant water bloom-forming Cyanobacteria in a tropical marine mangrove in Guadeloupe (French West Indies). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences place these marine Cyanobacteria in the genera Oscillatoria (Oscillatoria sp. clone gwada, strain OG) or Planktothricoides ('Candidatus Planktothricoides niger' strain OB and 'Candidatus Planktothricoides rosea' strain OP; both provisionally novel species within the genus Planktothricoides). Bioassays showed that 'Candidatus Planktothricoides niger' and 'Candidatus Planktothricoides rosea' are toxin-producing organisms. This is the first report of the characterization of Cyanobacteria colonizing periphyton mats of a tropical marine mangrove. We describe two novel benthic marine species and provide new insight into Oscillatoriaceae and their potential role in marine sulfide-rich environments such as mangroves.