Geopsychrobacter electrodiphilus'

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Legend. Image credit: Name or Publication.

Classification

Domain; Phylum; Class; Order; family [Others may be used. Use NCBI link to find]

cellular organisms; Bacteria; Proteobacteria; delta/epsilon subdivisions; Deltaproteobacteria; Desulfuromonadales; Geobacteraceae; Geopsychrobacter

Bacteria; Thermodesulfobacteria; Desulfuromonadia; Disulfuromonadales; Geopsychrobacteraceae

Species

NCBI: [1]

Genus species

Description and Significance

Describe the appearance, habitat, etc. of the organism, and why you think it is important.

Name Geo "from surface", psychro "psychrotolerant", bacter "rod-shaped", electrodi "found on electrode", philus "loving" Found in the Boston Harbor, Massachusetts on an electrode of a sediment feul cell about 5 meters deep. Psychrotolerant, and has capability "to harvest electricity by oxidizing organic compounds to carbon dioxide and transferring electrons to the anode." (Holmes 2005)

Rod shaped, gram negative, nonmotile.

Genome Structure

Describe the size and content of the genome. How many chromosomes? Circular or linear? Other interesting features? What is known about its sequence?

One chromosome. 16S rRNA most similar to Malonomonas Rubra. "Sequence comparisons between recA, gyrB, rpoB, fusA, and nifD genesfrom known Geobacteraceae indicated that the gyrB, recA, and nifD genes from strains A1 and A2 are most similar to those of Desulfuromonas palmitatis, while the rpoB and fusA genes are most similar to those of Desulfuromusa succinoxidans"

"65% of the 16S rRNA sequences associated with the current-harvesting electrodes in marine sediment fuel cells(17) are 90 to 97% similar to the 16S rRNA sequences" of G. electrodiphilus.

Cell Structure, Metabolism and Life Cycle

Interesting features of cell structure; how it gains energy; what important molecules it produces.

Abundance of type C cytochromes.

"able to couple the complete oxidation of acetate to CO2with the reduction of poorly crystalline Fe(III) oxide at temperatures as low as 4°C.The stoichiometry of acetate utilization and Fe(III) reduction indicated that poorly crystalline Fe(III) oxide served as the sole electron acceptor during growth"

Ecology and Pathogenesis

Habitat; symbiosis; biogeochemical significance; contributions to environment.

If relevant, how does this organism cause disease? Human, animal, plant hosts? Virulence factors, as well as patient symptoms.

Temperature: between 4 degrees and 30 degrees celsius. Grows on the surface of the graphite electrode, used as the electron acceptor.

References

[Sample reference] Takai, K., Sugai, A., Itoh, T., and Horikoshi, K. "Palaeococcus ferrophilus gen. nov., sp. nov., a barophilic, hyperthermophilic archaeon from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent chimney". International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 2000. Volume 50. p. 489-500.

Schoch CL, et al. NCBI Taxonomy: a comprehensive update on curation, resources and tools. Database (Oxford). 2020: baaa062. PubMed: 32761142 PMC: PMC7408187.

Holmes DE, Nicoll JS, Bond DR, Lovley DR (October 2004). "Potential role of a novel psychrotolerant member of the family Geobacteraceae, Geopsychrobacter electrodiphilus gen. nov., sp. nov., in electricity production by a marine sediment fuel cell". Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 70 (10): 6023–30. Bibcode:2004ApEnM..70.6023H. doi:10.1128/AEM.70.10.6023-6030.2004. PMC 522133. PMID 15466546.

Ow YP, Green DR, Hao Z, Mak TW. Cytochrome c: functions beyond respiration. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2008 Jul;9(7):532-42. doi: 10.1038/nrm2434. PMID: 18568041.

Author

Page authored by Michele Renard, student of Prof. Bradley Tolar at UNC Wilmington.