Abstract
A new purple sulfur bacterium was isolated in pure culture (strain 8315) from a laminated microbial mat at Great Sippewissett Salt Marsh, Cape Cod, Mass., USA. Single cells were large rods, 10–20 times longer than wide, and predominantly strainght with slightly conical ends. Cells were motile by polarly inserted flagellar tufts. Intracellular photosynthetic membranes were of the vesicular-type. Photosynthetic pigments were bacteriochlorophylla and the carotenoids lycopene, rhodovibrin, anhydrorhodovibrin, and rhodopin. The new bacterium was strictly anaerobic and obligately phototrophic. Hydrogen, hydrogen sulfide, elemental sulfur, and thiosulfate were used as electron donors for photoautotrophic growth. In sulfide-reduced, bicarbonate-containing media, acetate, propionate, and pyruvate were photoassimilated. Growth factors were not required. Optimum growth rates were obtained at pH 7.3, 30°C, a salinity of 1.5–5.0% NaCl, and a light intensity of about 500 lx (tungsten lamp). The DNA base composition of strain 8315 was 60.4 mol% G+C. Comparison of 16S rDNA oligonucleotide catalogue data showed that the new bacterium must be considered a new genus of the Chromatiaceae. The nameRhabdochromatium is revived, and the new speciesRhabdochromatium marinum sp. nov. is described.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bavendamm W (1924) Die farblosen und roten Schwefelbakterien des Süß-und Salzwassers. Kolkwitz R (ed) Pflanzenforschung Heft 2, Fischer, Jena
Floßdorf J (1983) A rapid method for the determination of the base composition of bacterial DNA. J Microbiol Methods 1:305–311
Fowler VJ, Pfennig N, Schubert W, Stackebrandt E (1984) Towards a phylogeny of phototrophic purple sulfur bacteria-16S rRNA oligonucleotide cataloguing of 11 species of Chromatiaceae. Arch Microbiol 139:382–387
Fox GE, Pechmann KR, Woese CR (1977) Comparative cataloguing of 16S rRNA ribosomal ribonucleic acid: molecular approach to procaryotic systematics. Int J Syst Bacteriol 27:44–57
International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria (1992) American Society for Microbiology, Washington DC
Liesack W, Finster K (1994) Phylogenetic analysis of five strains of gram-negative, obligately anaerobic, sulfur-reducing bacteria and description ofDesulfuromusa gen. nov., includingDesulfuromusa kysingii sp. nov.,Desulfuromusa bakii sp. nov., andDesulfuromusa succinoxidans sp. nov. Int J Syst Bacteriol 44:753–758
Lowry OH, Rosebrough NJ, Farr AL, Randall RJ (1951) Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem 193: 265–275
Nicholson JAM, Stolz JF, Pierson BK (1987) Structure of a microbial mat at Great Sippewissett Marsh, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 45:343–364
Overmann J, Fischer U, Pfenning N (1992) A new purple sulfur bacterium from saline littoral sediments,Thiorhodovibrio winogradskyi gen. nov. and sp. nov. Arch Microbiol 157:329–335
Pfennig N (1978)Rhodocyclus purpureus gen. nov. and spec. nov., a ring-shaped, vitamin B12-requiring member of the family Rhodospirillaceae. Int J Syst Bacteriol 28:283–288
Pfennig N, Trüper HG (1974) Family II Chromatiaceae. In: Buchanan and Gibbons (eds) Bergey's manual of determinative bacteriology, 8th edn. Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, pp 34–51
Pfennig N, Trüper HG (1981) Isolation of members of the families Chromatiaceae and Chlorobiaceae. In: Starr HP, Stolp H, Trüper HG, Balows A, Schlegel HG (eds) The prokaryotes. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 279–289
Siefert E, Pfennig N (1984) Convenient method to prepare neutral sulfide solution for cultivation of phototrophic sulfur bacteria. Arch Microbiol 139:100–101
Winogradsky S (1888) Beitrage zur Morphologie und Physiologie der Bakterien. Heft 1: Zur Morphologie und Physiologie der Schwefelbakterien. Felix, Leipzig, pp 1–120
Winogradsky SN (1949) Microbiologie du sol. Oeuvres Completes. Masson, Paris
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Dilling, W., Liesack, W. & Pfennig, N. Rhabdochromatium marinum gen. nom. rev., sp. nov., a purple sulfur bacterium from a salt marsh microbial mat. Arch. Microbiol. 164, 125–131 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02525318
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02525318