Rhodospirillum photometricum: Difference between revisions

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<b>This Funk [[Microbial Biorealm]] <i>Genus </i>template page is a guide for each student when creating and adding an entirely new species to MicrobeWiki.  COPY AND PASTE this entire template (below) to set up a new page for a new species entry, then begin to fill in and edit the page. State at the bottom of the page that the page is "Authored by [your Student Name]" in front of "a student of CJ Funk at John Brown University".</b>
==Classification==
==Classification==


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Domain: Bacteria
Domain: Bacteria
Phylum:  
Phylum: Proteobacteria
Class:  
Class: Alphaproteobacteria
Order:  
Order: Rhodospirillales
family:  
family: Rhodospirillaceae (Molisch 1907)


===Species===
===Species===
''Pararhodospirillum photometricum''


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'''NCBI: [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?mode=Tree&id=2&lvl=3&lin=f&keep=1&srchmode=1&unlock Taxonomy]'''
'''NCBI: [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?mode=Tree&id=2&lvl=3&lin=f&keep=1&srchmode=1&unlock Taxonomy]'''
|}
|}
''Genus species''


==Description and significance==
==Description and significance==
a. Give an introduction to the organism. Indicate the full name of the organism, what the name means, when and where it was first isolated/described, and by whom. Correctly write the binomial species name and the taxonomic designation (enter information above, including the link to the correct NCBI page(s). Abbreviate the genus name after the first usage.  
''Pararhodospirillum photometricum'' is a Gram-negative, spiral, rod-shaped bacterium. ''R. photobacterium'' got its name by having a spiral, rod shape. It got its name photobacterium from the words phôs-otos, meaning light, and metricus, relating to measuring; metrica. Photometricum was intended to mean light measuring. They measure between 1.1-1.5µm wide. One complete turn of a spiral is 2.5-4µm wide and 4-7µm long. Cells that are 14-30µm long are common as well. ''R. photometricum'' is motile and has a brown color. Cultures are brown-orange to brown-red or dark brown. Photosynthetic pigments are bacetriochlorophyll ''a'' and carotenoids of the spirilloxanthin series (Brenner et al.).
b. Give the morphological characteristics (cells, colonies), Gram stain (or cell wall equivalent), cellular appendages and any extracellular matrix that it secretes as well as whether or not it is motile.


 
Their internal photosynthetic membranes consist of several lamellar stacks forming a sharp angel with the cytoplasmic membrane.
Include a link if there is an existing microbewiki page for this genus (Ex. [[Salmonella]]).
Because it mainly lives in fresh waters, there is no requirement of salt. This bacteria does not go through aerobic growth. It is important to note that ''R. rubrum'' does go through aerobic growth, and unlike ''R. photometricum'', it is able to go through the oxidation of sulfide. ''R. photometricum'' and ''R. rubrum'' are currently the only ones in the genus ''Rhodospirillum'' because other species were placed into different genus regarding many factors such as genetic distance among spiral-shaped PNSB (Brenner et al.).


==Genome and genetics==
==Genome and genetics==
a. To what major branch of the prokaryotes do they belong? (see textbook or Bergey’s). List 2-3 closely related but separate species or genera of bacteria.
''R. photometricum'' belongs to the Phototrophic Alphaproteobacteria group as ''R. photometricum'' and ''R. rubrum'' are one of the only ones in their genus that have large type cytochrome c2. This is different as opposed to the genus ''Phaeospriillum'' who have small type cytochromes c2. Based on their 16S rDNA sequence analysis, different phylogenetic relationships are observed while differentiating various different phototrophic ''Alphaproteobacteria''. Manipulation of the 16S rDNA aids in tracing the ''Rhodospirillum'' genus and where they are on the phylogenetic tree with other ''Alphaproteobacteria''.


b. Briefly describe any extra-chromosomal elements or genetic tools that are used to study the bacterium:  viruses, plasmids, transposons that allow genetic manipulation and analysis.
Three species of the genus ''Aquaspirillum'' belong to the ''Alphaproteobacteria'' based on rRNA-DNA hybridization and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Two of these species, ''A. itersonii'' and ''A. peregrinum'' were closely related to the species ''R. rubrum'' and ''R. photometricum''.
 
c. Has the genome or genomes been sequenced?  If so, include the website for the database and one or two highlights of the genome. Also indicate genome size (base pairs), %G+C (nucleotide base composition) and number of genes, and specific genes or gene regions that are unique to this organism.  If it has not been sequenced, give its closest relative that has been sequenced, its website, and some general information about the related sequence.
 
 
Example: The sequence of ''Haemophilus influenzae'' was determined using whole genome shotgun sequencing (Fleischmann et al. 1995).


==Nutrition and metabolism==
==Nutrition and metabolism==
a.Describe the growth characteristics of your bacterial species; sources of C, N, electrons; respires/ferments, uses O2, etc.
This species mainly lives in Fresh water environments at an optimal temperature of 25-30°C and an optimal pH level of 6.5-7.5. These cells grow photoheterotrophically under anoxic conditions in the light with various organic compounds such as carbon and electron sources (Brenner et al.).


b.What kinds of culture conditions (temp, pH, media) are needed for laboratory study? 
The carbon sources that they use range from a whole variety. Nitorgen sources such as ammonia,alanine, glutamate, and asparagine are used. Nicotinic acid is required as a growth factor.


c.What kinds of waste, by-products, volatile compounds are generated?
Little research and studies have been made of ''R. photometricum''. This species is very sensitive to oxygen and does not grow under oxic conditions in the dark. What is speculated is that it is unable to induce a second electron transport chain in the presence of oxygen and therefore depends on microoxic conditions in which the internal membrane system and the light-driven electron transport chain are fully expressed. The cells are fully pigmented under these growth conditions (Chandler et al.).


==Ecology / Pathology==
==Ecology / Pathology==
Ecology:  How is your microorganism important in the ecosystem where it is found?  How does it impact other organisms in the environment (could be positive or negative impact)
Ecology:  ''R. photometricum'' mainly lives in stagnant, fresh water environments at an optimal temperature of 25-30°C and an optimal pH level of 6.5-7.5. These habitats have to be exposed to light as the cells go through photosynthesis, harboring major quinone components, Q-8 and RQ-8 (Brenner et al.).


Pathology: How does the microbe cause disease as it interacts with the host? Describe any specific toxins or pathways that are used for invading and causing disease in the host. What treatment is used to inhibit or kill the microbe?
Pathology: There has not been any further research into the pathogenicity of the bacteria unto humans, however exposure to the bacteria does not cause any lethal outcomes. Since it lives as an autotroph, producing its energy from photosynthesis and the breaking down of sugars, isolating them from the light would kill them. Also, isolating them form Nicotinic acid would greatly affect their growth as it is a required growth factor.


==Current Research==
==Current Research==
Research has been performed on its light harvesting capabilities as well in order to see its potential in harvesting light using pigment-protein complexes, called chromatophores. They constructed a model of a chromatophore from ''R. photometricum'' based on atomic force microscopy data. They were able to characterize the intercomplex excitation transfer network and dive into the relationship between the close-packing and light-harvesting efficiency of ''R. photometricum's'' photosynthetic capabilites (Chandler et al.).


Describe recent research and findings that have been done with this organism. The research can be clinical, applied or basic research. This section should be based on 2 recent papers (10 years or less) and summarized in your own words.
Recent research that has been studied upon ''R. photometricum'' includes a change in the classification of the genus. Research claimed that Rhodospirillum photometricum made it evident that the genus still remained heterogeneous in phenotypic and genetic properties, thus a change in the classifcication was incited (Lakshmi et al.). Major differences were observed in the carotenoid composition within the genus. Many different species contained lycopene and rhodopin, and in addition, the structure of the intracytoplasmic membrane system is not a prime characteristic to differentiate between different genera, therefore, a different genus with identical internal membrane systems was chosen to be more ideal. ''R. photometricum'' changed from being in the ''Rhodospirillum'' genus to the ''Pararhodospirillum'' genus.


==References==
==References==
The format for citations and for the “References” list will follow the “Citation—Name” Council of Science Editors (CSE) format, as the suggested formatting method listed on the MicrobeWiki Home page. The reference list will be numbered based on an alphabetical list of the first author’s last name.
Brenner, D, Krieg, N, and Staley, J. Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology. Second Edition. East Lansing, MI. Bergey's Manual Trust. 2005. 120-123.
A style guide for the CSE format can be found here: http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/DocCSE_CitationSystems.html.<br><br>
 
Chandler DE, Strumpfer J, Sener M, Scheuring S, Schulten K. Light harvesting by lamellar chromatophores in Rhodospirillum photometricum. Biophys J. 2014. 106:2503-10.
 
Lakshmi KV, Divyasree B, Ramprasad EV, Sasikala Ch, and Ramana ChV. Reclassification of Rhodospirillum photometricum Molisch 1907, Rhodospirillum sulfurexigens Anil Kumar et al. 2008 and Rhodospirillum oryzae Lakshmi et al. 2013 in a new genus, Pararhodospirillum gen. nov., as Pararhodospirillum photometricum comb. nov., Pararhodospirillum sulfurexigens comb. nov. and Pararhodospirillum oryzae comb. nov., respectively, and emended description of the genus Rhodospirillum. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2014. 64:1154-9.


For an example, see this entry: https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Bacillus_anthracis
Molisch, H. Die Purpurbakterien nach neueren Untersuchungen. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Jena (1907). pp. 1-95.





Latest revision as of 20:47, 2 April 2017

Classification

Higher order taxa

Domain: Bacteria Phylum: Proteobacteria Class: Alphaproteobacteria Order: Rhodospirillales family: Rhodospirillaceae (Molisch 1907)

Species

Pararhodospirillum photometricum

NCBI: Taxonomy

Description and significance

Pararhodospirillum photometricum is a Gram-negative, spiral, rod-shaped bacterium. R. photobacterium got its name by having a spiral, rod shape. It got its name photobacterium from the words phôs-otos, meaning light, and metricus, relating to measuring; metrica. Photometricum was intended to mean light measuring. They measure between 1.1-1.5µm wide. One complete turn of a spiral is 2.5-4µm wide and 4-7µm long. Cells that are 14-30µm long are common as well. R. photometricum is motile and has a brown color. Cultures are brown-orange to brown-red or dark brown. Photosynthetic pigments are bacetriochlorophyll a and carotenoids of the spirilloxanthin series (Brenner et al.).

Their internal photosynthetic membranes consist of several lamellar stacks forming a sharp angel with the cytoplasmic membrane. Because it mainly lives in fresh waters, there is no requirement of salt. This bacteria does not go through aerobic growth. It is important to note that R. rubrum does go through aerobic growth, and unlike R. photometricum, it is able to go through the oxidation of sulfide. R. photometricum and R. rubrum are currently the only ones in the genus Rhodospirillum because other species were placed into different genus regarding many factors such as genetic distance among spiral-shaped PNSB (Brenner et al.).

Genome and genetics

R. photometricum belongs to the Phototrophic Alphaproteobacteria group as R. photometricum and R. rubrum are one of the only ones in their genus that have large type cytochrome c2. This is different as opposed to the genus Phaeospriillum who have small type cytochromes c2. Based on their 16S rDNA sequence analysis, different phylogenetic relationships are observed while differentiating various different phototrophic Alphaproteobacteria. Manipulation of the 16S rDNA aids in tracing the Rhodospirillum genus and where they are on the phylogenetic tree with other Alphaproteobacteria.

Three species of the genus Aquaspirillum belong to the Alphaproteobacteria based on rRNA-DNA hybridization and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Two of these species, A. itersonii and A. peregrinum were closely related to the species R. rubrum and R. photometricum.

Nutrition and metabolism

This species mainly lives in Fresh water environments at an optimal temperature of 25-30°C and an optimal pH level of 6.5-7.5. These cells grow photoheterotrophically under anoxic conditions in the light with various organic compounds such as carbon and electron sources (Brenner et al.).

The carbon sources that they use range from a whole variety. Nitorgen sources such as ammonia,alanine, glutamate, and asparagine are used. Nicotinic acid is required as a growth factor.

Little research and studies have been made of R. photometricum. This species is very sensitive to oxygen and does not grow under oxic conditions in the dark. What is speculated is that it is unable to induce a second electron transport chain in the presence of oxygen and therefore depends on microoxic conditions in which the internal membrane system and the light-driven electron transport chain are fully expressed. The cells are fully pigmented under these growth conditions (Chandler et al.).

Ecology / Pathology

Ecology: R. photometricum mainly lives in stagnant, fresh water environments at an optimal temperature of 25-30°C and an optimal pH level of 6.5-7.5. These habitats have to be exposed to light as the cells go through photosynthesis, harboring major quinone components, Q-8 and RQ-8 (Brenner et al.).

Pathology: There has not been any further research into the pathogenicity of the bacteria unto humans, however exposure to the bacteria does not cause any lethal outcomes. Since it lives as an autotroph, producing its energy from photosynthesis and the breaking down of sugars, isolating them from the light would kill them. Also, isolating them form Nicotinic acid would greatly affect their growth as it is a required growth factor.

Current Research

Research has been performed on its light harvesting capabilities as well in order to see its potential in harvesting light using pigment-protein complexes, called chromatophores. They constructed a model of a chromatophore from R. photometricum based on atomic force microscopy data. They were able to characterize the intercomplex excitation transfer network and dive into the relationship between the close-packing and light-harvesting efficiency of R. photometricum's photosynthetic capabilites (Chandler et al.).

Recent research that has been studied upon R. photometricum includes a change in the classification of the genus. Research claimed that Rhodospirillum photometricum made it evident that the genus still remained heterogeneous in phenotypic and genetic properties, thus a change in the classifcication was incited (Lakshmi et al.). Major differences were observed in the carotenoid composition within the genus. Many different species contained lycopene and rhodopin, and in addition, the structure of the intracytoplasmic membrane system is not a prime characteristic to differentiate between different genera, therefore, a different genus with identical internal membrane systems was chosen to be more ideal. R. photometricum changed from being in the Rhodospirillum genus to the Pararhodospirillum genus.

References

Brenner, D, Krieg, N, and Staley, J. Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology. Second Edition. East Lansing, MI. Bergey's Manual Trust. 2005. 120-123.

Chandler DE, Strumpfer J, Sener M, Scheuring S, Schulten K. Light harvesting by lamellar chromatophores in Rhodospirillum photometricum. Biophys J. 2014. 106:2503-10.

Lakshmi KV, Divyasree B, Ramprasad EV, Sasikala Ch, and Ramana ChV. Reclassification of Rhodospirillum photometricum Molisch 1907, Rhodospirillum sulfurexigens Anil Kumar et al. 2008 and Rhodospirillum oryzae Lakshmi et al. 2013 in a new genus, Pararhodospirillum gen. nov., as Pararhodospirillum photometricum comb. nov., Pararhodospirillum sulfurexigens comb. nov. and Pararhodospirillum oryzae comb. nov., respectively, and emended description of the genus Rhodospirillum. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2014. 64:1154-9.

Molisch, H. Die Purpurbakterien nach neueren Untersuchungen. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Jena (1907). pp. 1-95.


Authored by David Shao, a student of CJ Funk at John Brown University