Spiroplasma melliferum

A Microbial Biorealm page on Spiroplasma melliferum

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Classification

The Phylogenetic Placement of Spiroplasma melliferum

Higher Order Taxa:

Class: Mollicutes

Order: Mycoplasmatales

Family: Spiroplasmataceae

Genus: Spiroplasma

Species: melliferum

Description and Significance

Spiroplasma melliferum is a bacterium that was isolated from hemolymph and gut of honeybees (Apis mellifera) as Strain BC-3^T (= ATCC 33219). It was also recovered from hemolymph of bumble bees, leafcutter bees, and a robber fly and the intestinal contents of sweat bees, digger bees, bumblebees, and a butterfly. It was also found in a variety of plant surfaces (flowers) (2).

Genome Structure

The whole-genome shotgun sequencing of S. Melliferum IPMB4A produced a draft assembly that was ~1.1 Mb in size and covered ~80% of the chromosome (1).

The G+C content of the DNA is 26 mol% as determined by the melting temperature method and 27 to 28 mol% as determined by the buoyant density method. The genome molecular weight is 10⁹ (2).

Cell and Colony Structure

The Structure of the Cytoskeleton of Spiroplasma melliferum with High Efficiency CT (HECT).

Spiroplasma melliferum is a helical, motile bacteria without cell walls (1). Spiroplasma melliferum has a classic fried-egg shaped colony morphology.

Metabolism

The Metabolic Pathways of Spiroplasma melliferum

Spiroplasma melliferum ferments glucose and hydrolyzes arginine (1). It also possesses all the genes required for glycolysis to convert glucose-6-phophate into pyruvate which is used for the production of cysteine (1).

Ecology

Endosymbiotic inhabitants.

Pathology

While most of the Spiroplasma species appeared to be harmless commensals of insects, a small number of species have evolved pathogenicity toward various arthropods and plants (1).

Host: infects the honeybee.

References

1) Wen-Sui Lo, Ling-Ling Chen, Wan-Chia Chung, Gail Gasparich, Chih-Horng Kuo. (2013) Comparative genome analysis of Spiroplasma melliferum IPMB4A, a honeybee-associated bacterium. BMC Genomics. 9 January 2014. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2164/14/22

2) Clark, T. B., R. F. Whitcomb, J. G. Tully, C. Mouches, C. Saillard, J. M. Bove, H. Wroblewski, P. Carle, D. L. Rose, R.B. Henegar, and D. L. Williamson. (1985) Spiroplasma melliferum, a New Species from the Honeybee (Apis mellifera). International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology, Vol. 35, No. 3, 296-308.

Edited by Brittany Demmons, student of Dr. Lisa R. Moore, University of Southern Maine, Department of Biological Sciences, http://www.usm.maine.edu/bio