Marivirga tractuosa

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A Microbial Biorealm page on the genus Marivirga tractuosa

Classification

Higher order taxa

Domain: Bacteria

Phylum: Bacteroidetes

Class: Sphingobacteria

Order: Sphingobacteriales

Family: Flammeovirgaceae

Genus: Marivirga

Species

Marivirga tractuosa Type strain: H-43

Description and significance

This light microscope image shows the swollen end, rod shaped cells of Oceanibulbus indolifex [[1]]

Marivirga tractuosa a rod-shaped,gram-negative, pigmented, non-spore forming bacterium. It is a mesophile with optimum growth temperatures from 28-32ºC. It is important because it is resistant to some antibiotics and it has an interesting motility. This microbe has a gliding motility, meaning that it moves by itself without the help of flagella or any external forces. The antibiotics it is resistant to include: gentamicin, kanamycin, neomycin, polymixin and streptomycin.

Genome structure

Marivirga tractousa chromosome is 4,511,574 base pairs long, and the chromosomes are circular. They have a 4916 sequence length, and they have 4516490 nucleotides. It has 3757 protein genes and 49 RNA genes. Its DNA coding region is at 4,029,412 base pair, and its DNA G+C content is 1,604,111 base pairs. Its total number of genes is 3,857. It has 2 rRNA operons, and 51 Psuedo genes.

Cell and colony structure

Marivirga tractuosa are long, slender, flexible rods 10-50 µm in length, 0.4-0.5 µm in width Colonies are circular, shiny and 2-4 mm in diameter after 72 hours of incubation on marine agar (which is a gelling agent from seaweed). They are usually dark-orange in color but whitish or yellow-pigmented are also sometimes present.

Metabolism

It is a strictly aerobic chemoorganotroph, meaning it uses organic compounds as its energy and carbon source. Carbon sources come from glycerol, glucose, galactose, and sucrose. Growth is observed at 10-40ºC and with 0.5–10% NaCl, with optimal growth at 28-32ºC and 4-7% NaCl.

Ecology

Oceanibulbus indolifex has optimum growth from 25-30°C but can grow in a range all the way down to 8°C. The bacterium’s optimum growth occurs at a pH of 7 but it can tolerate a range from 7-9. The optimum salts concentration for growth is 3-5% and the halotolerance range is from 1-10%. Oceanibulbus indolifex does not grow in medium lacking salts or in medium containing only sodium chloride.

Pathology

Oceanibulbus indolifex has no known pathogenic effects on humans. The bacterium does have genes coding for β-lactamases indicating resistance to β-lactam antibiotics like penicillins, cephamycins, and carbapenems. Oceanibulbus indolifex is susceptible to aminoglycosides, antibiotics derived from bacteria of the genus Streptomyces that interfere with bacterial ribosome function.

References

[[2]Wagner-Do ̈bler, I., Rheims, H., Felske, A., El-Ghezal, A., Flade-Schro ̈der, D., Laatsch, H., Lang, S., Pukall, R., Tindall, B., 2004. Oceanibulbus indolifex gen. nov., sp. nov., a North Sea alphaproteobacterium that produces bioactive metabolites. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology doi: 10.1099/ijs.0.02850-0]

[[3]Piekarski, T., Buchholz, I., Drepper, T., Schobert, M., Wagner-Doebler, I., Tielen, P., Dieter Jahn, D., 2009. Genetic tools for the investigation of Roseobacter clade bacteria. BioMedCentral Microbiology doi:10.1186/1471-2180-9-265]

[[4]Tang, K., Huang, H., Jiao, N., Wu, C., 2010. Phylogenomic Analysis of Marine Roseobacters. PLoS ONE 5(7): e11604. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0011604]

[[5]Thiel, V., Brinkhoff, T., Dickschat, J., Wickel, S., Grunenberg, J., Simonb, M., Schulz, S., 2009. Identification and biosynthesis of tropone derivatives and sulfur volatiles produced by bacteria of the marine Roseobacter clade. Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry DOI: 10.1039/B909133E]

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