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Indications for a genetic basis for big bacteria and description of the giant cable bacterium Candidatus Electrothrix gigas sp. nov.
Geelhoed, J.S.; Thorup, C.A.; Bjerg, J.J.; Schreiber, L.; Nielsen, L.P.; Schramm, A.; Meysman, F.J.R.; Marshall, I.P.G. (2023). Indications for a genetic basis for big bacteria and description of the giant cable bacterium Candidatus Electrothrix gigas sp. nov. Microbiology Spectrum 11(5): e00538-23. https://dx.doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.00538-23
In: Microbiology Spectrum. ASM Press: Washington. e-ISSN 2165-0497, more
Peer reviewed article  

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Keyword
    Marine/Coastal
Author keywords
    cable bacteria; cell size; phylogenomics; actin; Candidatus Electrothrixgigas

Authors  Top 
  • Geelhoed, J.S., more
  • Thorup, C.A.
  • Bjerg, J.J., more
  • Schreiber, L.
  • Nielsen, L.P.
  • Schramm, A.
  • Meysman, F.J.R., more
  • Marshall, I.P.G.

Abstract

    Bacterial cells can vary greatly in size, from a few hundred nanometers to hundreds of micrometers in diameter. Filamentous cable bacteria also display substantial size differences, with filament diameters ranging from 0.4 to 8 µm. We analyzed the genomes of cable bacterium filaments from 11 coastal environments of which the resulting 23 new genomes represent 10 novel species-level clades of Candidatus Electrothrix and two clades that putatively represent novel genus-level diversity. Fluorescence in situ hybridization with a species-level probe showed that large-sized cable bacteria belong to a novel species with the proposed name Ca. Electrothrix gigas. Comparative genome analysis suggests genes that play a role in the construction or functioning of large cable bacteria cells: the genomes of Ca. Electrothrix gigas encode a novel actin-like protein as well as a species-specific gene cluster encoding four putative pilin proteins and a putative type II secretion platform protein, which are not present in other cable bacteria. The novel actin-like protein was also found in a number of other giant bacteria, suggesting there could be a genetic basis for large cell size. This actin-like protein (denoted big bacteria protein, Bbp) may have a function analogous to other actin proteins in cell structure or intracellular transport. We contend that Bbp may help overcome the challenges of diffusion limitation and/or morphological complexity presented by the large cells of Ca. Electrothrix gigas and other giant bacteria.


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