Lactobacillus plantarum
Classification
""Domain"" : Bacteria
""Phylum"" : Firmicutes
""Class"" : Bacilli
""Order"" : Lactobacillales
""Family"" : Lactobacillaceae
""Genus"" : Lactobacillus
""Species"" : plantarum
Lactobacillus plantarum
Description and Significance
L. plantarum is a gram positive bacteria. It is a facultative heterofermentative lactic acid bacterium.
Genome Structure
"Lactobacillus platarum" has one of the largest genomes among lactic acid bacteria. In its circular chromosome it contains 3,308,274 base pairs. Putative biological functions have been given to 2,120 of the predicted proteins. One particular interesting region of the chromosome is the 213-kb region from 3,072,500 – 3,28,500, which encodes proteins for sugar transport, metabolism, and regulation. This region has a lower percent CG content, leading researchers to believe that many of these genes have been acquired by horizontal gene transfer. There are three plasmids contained in the “L. plantarum” chromosome, pWCFS101, pWCFS102, and pWCFS103. The plasmid sizes are as follows: pWCFS101 contains 1,917 bp, pWCFS102 contains 2,365 bp, and pWCFS103 contains 36,069 bp. “L. plantarum” contains two apparently complete prophage genomes, as well as some prophage remnants.
Cell Structure, Metabolism and Life Cycle
Interesting features of cell structure; how it gains energy; what important molecules it produces.
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.
Often isolated from plant material and the gastrointestinal tract of animals.
Used as a probiotic
References
http://www.pnas.org/content/100/4/1990.long
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=genomeprj&Cmd=Retrieve&list_uids=32969
http://aem.asm.org/cgi/content/short/71/3/1223
Author
Page authored by Stephanie LaHaye and Jason McIntyre, student of Prof. Jay Lennon at Michigan State University.