Tunicatimonas

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Classification

Domain: Bacteria ; Phylum: Bacteroidata; Class: Cytophagia; Order: Cytophagales; family: Flammeovirgaceae

Species

pelagia

NCBI: [1]

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Tunicatimonas pelagia

Description and Significance

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

T. pelagia is a gram-negative, strictly aerobic, non-motile rod-shaped bacteria. It forms small, shiny, and round pink to red colonies. It is the only identified member of the genus Tunicatimonas and a symbiont of sea anemones. It is a mesophile and prefers less-salty environments (Yoon, 2012).

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?

Cell Structure, Metabolism and Life Cycle

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

T. pelagia is a member of the group Bacteroides, meaning it can break down complex carbohydrates through carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes)(Chen, 2023).

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.
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"T. pelagia" was originally extracted from the sea anemone "Diadumene lineata" in Japan around 2011. It is likely involved in the metabolism and decomposition of macromolecules, including complex carbohydrates. The species has been more recently found inhabiting plastic debris and mangrove pneumatophores, and could be transported via plastic pollution (Wainwright, 2023).

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.

Yoon, J., Oku, N., Park, S., Katsuta, A., & Kasai, H. (2011). Tunicatimonas Pelagia gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel representative of the family Flammeovirgaceae isolated from a sea anemone by the differential growth screening method. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, 101(1), 133–140. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10482-011-9626-6

Author

Page authored by _____, _____, _____, & _____, students of Prof. Bradley Tolar at UNC Wilmington.