Flavobacterium denitrificans

Classification

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

Bacteria; Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi group; Bacteroidetes; Flavobacteriia; Flavobacteriales; Flavobacteriaceae; Flavobacterium

Species

NCBI: Taxonomy

Flavobacterium denitrificans

Description and Significance

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

They are gram-negative, motile rods. They range in size of (0.8–3.0)*(0.3–0.9) mm, can form chains of 3–14 cells, sometimes form connecting filaments. They are found in the gut of the earthworm Aporrectodea caliginosa. The organism is important because they carry out denitrification.

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?

They contain membranous c-type cytochromes.

Cell Structure, Metabolism and Life Cycle

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

Mono- and polymeric carbohydrates as well as proteins as electron donors.

Oxygen, nitrate and nitrite were used as electron acceptors but not iron(III) and sulphate.

Uses ammonium as nitrogen source.

N2O is produced as an intermediate during the reduction of NO3- to N2.

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.

References

Drake, Harold L., and Marcus A. Horn. "As the worm turns: the earthworm gut as a transient habitat for soil microbial biomes." Annu. Rev. Microbiol. 61 (2007): 169-189.

Horn, Marcus A., et al. "Dechloromonas denitrificans sp. nov., Flavobacterium denitrificans sp. nov., Paenibacillus anaericanus sp. nov. and Paenibacillus terrae strain MH72, N2O-producing bacteria isolated from the gut of the earthworm Aporrectodea caliginosa." International journal of systematic and evolutionary microbiology 55.3 (2005): 1255-1265.

Philippot, Laurent, Sara Hallin, and Michael Schloter. "Ecology of denitrifying prokaryotes in agricultural soil." Advances in Agronomy 96 (2007): 249-305.

Author

Page authored by Kate Glanville & Di Liang, students of Microbial Ecology at Michigan State University.