RESUMEN
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.
Asunto(s)
ADN Bacteriano , Orgánulos , Thiotrichaceae , Variaciones en el Número de Copia de ADN , ADN Bacteriano/análisis , ADN Bacteriano/metabolismo , Estadios del Ciclo de Vida , Orgánulos/química , Orgánulos/metabolismo , Poliploidía , Thiotrichaceae/genética , Thiotrichaceae/crecimiento & desarrollo , Thiotrichaceae/ultraestructuraRESUMEN
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.