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Intercellular structure in a many-celled magnetotactic prokaryote |
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| Authors: | Frank G Rodgers Richard P Blakemore Nancy A Blakemore Richard B Frankel Dennis A Bazylinski Denise Maratea Christine Rodgers |
| Institution: | (1) Department of Microbiology, Spaulding Life Science Building, University of New Hampshire, 03824 Durham, NH, USA;(2) Department of Physics, California Polytechnic State University, 93407 San Luis Obispo, CA, USA;(3) Department of Anaerobic Microbiology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 24061 Blacksburg, VA, USA;(4) Creative Biomolecules, 35 South Street, 01748 Hopkinton, MA, USA |
| Abstract: | A many-called magnetotactic prokaryote obtained from brackish water was observed to possess intercellular connections at points of contact between the outer membranes of constituent cells. Each aggregate organism consisted of 10 to 30 individual Gram-negative cells containing material with the appearance of poly- -hydroxybutyrate and magnetosomes of unusual arrangement, structure and composition. The aggregate, which possessed prokaryotic-type flagella arranged at the outwards surfaces of each cell, showed motility indicative of co-ordination between individual component cells. These results suggest that this organism could be a multicellular prokaryote. |
| Keywords: | Intercellular junctions Multicellularity in prokaryotes Bacterial magnetotaxis Ultrastructure Bacterial co-ordination |
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