Candidatus "Thiodictyon syntrophicum", sp. nov., a new purple sulfur bacterium isolated from the chemocline of Lake Cadagno forming aggregates and specific associations with Desulfocapsa sp

Strain Cad16(T) is a small-celled purple sulfur bacterium (PSB) isolated from the chemocline of crenogenic meromictic Lake Cadagno, Switzerland. Long term in situ observations showed that Cad16(T) regularly grows in very compact clumps of cells in association with bacteria belonging to the genus Desulfocapsa in a cell-to-cell three dimensional structure. Previously assigned to the genus Lamprocystis, Cad16(T), was here reclassified and assigned to the genus Thiodictyon. Based on comparative 16S rRNA gene sequences analysis, isolate Cad16(T) was closely related to Thiodictyon bacillosum DSM234(T) and Thiodictyon elegans DSM232(T) with sequence similarities of 99.2% and 98.9%, respectively. Moreover, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) analysis separated Cad16(T) from other PSB genera, Lamprocystis and Thiocystis. Major differences in cell morphology (oval-sphere compared to rod-shaped) and arrangement (no netlike cell aggregates), carotenoid group (presence of okenone instead of rhodopinal), chemolithotrophic growth as well as the ability to form syntrophic associations with a sulfate-reducing bacteria of the genus Desulfocapsa suggested a different species within the genus Thiodictyon. This isolate is therefore proposed and described as Candidatus "Thiodictyon syntrophicum" sp. nov., a provisionally novel species within the genus Thiodictyon.     

Symptomology and etiology of a new disease,yellow stunt,and root rot of standing milkvetch caused by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Embellisia</Emphasis> sp. in Northern China

An Embellisia sp. has been established as the cause of a new disease of the herbaceous perennial forage legume, ‹standing milkvetch’ (Astragalus adsurgens Pall.) in Northern China, which severely reduces plant density and degrades A. adsurgens stands. The disease was common at an experimental location in Gansu Province where it was recognized by the occurrence of stunted plants with reddish-brown stems and yellow and necrotic leaf blades. An Embellisia sp. was isolated from symptomatic stem, leaf blade, petiole, and root tissues at varying frequencies of up to 90%. Single-spore isolates grew very slowly on PCA, PDA, V-8 and, wheat hay decoction agar. Pathogenicity was confirmed by inoculation of seeds, dipping 2-day-old pre-germinated seedlings in inoculum and spraying inoculum on 6-month-old plants. Symptoms on test plants included yellow leaf lesions, brown lesions on stems and petioles, stunted side-shoots with yellow, small, distorted and necrotic leaves, shoot blight, bud death, crown rot, root rot, and plant death. The disease is named as ‹yellow stunt and root rot’ of A. adsurgens to distinguish it from diseases caused by other known pathogens. Embellisia sp. is also pathogenic to A. sinicus but not to 11 other tested plant species.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Thiocapsa imhoffii</Emphasis>, sp. nov., an alkaliphilic purple sulfur bacterium of the family <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chromatiaceae</Emphasis> from Soap Lake,Washington (USA)

An alkaliphilic purple sulfur bacterium, strain SC5, was isolated from Soap Lake, a soda lake located in east central Washington state (USA). Cells of strain SC5 were gram-negative, non-motile, and non-gas vesiculate cocci, often observed in pairs or tetrads. In the presence of sulfide, elemental sulfur was deposited internally. Liquid cultures were pink to rose red in color. Cells contained bacteriochlorophyll a and spirilloxanthin as major photosynthetic pigments. Internal photosynthetic membranes were of the vesicular type. Optimal growth of strain SC5 occurred in the absence of NaCl (range 0–4%), pH 8.5 (range pH 7.5–9.5), and 32°C. Photoheterotrophic growth occurred in the presence of sulfide or thiosulfate with only a limited number of organic carbon sources. Growth factors were not required, and cells could fix N₂. Dark, microaerobic growth occurred in the presence of both an organic carbon source and thiosulfate. Sulfide and thiosulfate served as electron donors for photoautotrophy, which required elevated levels of CO₂. Phylogenetic analysis placed strain SC5 basal to the clade of the genus Thiocapsa in the family Chromatiaceae with a 96.7% sequence similarity to its closest relative, Thiocapsa roseopersicina strain 1711^T (DSM217^T). The unique assemblage of physiological and phylogenetic properties of strain SC5 defines it as a new species of the genus Thiocapsa, and we describe strain SC5 herein as Tca. imhoffii, sp. nov.     

The Prospect of Purple Non-Sulfur (PNS) Photosynthetic Bacteria for Hydrogen Production: The Present State of the Art

Hydrogen is the fuel for the future, mainly due to its recyclability and nonpolluting nature. Biological hydrogen production processes are operated at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressures, thus are less energy intensive and more environmentally friendly as compared to thermochemical and electrochemical processes. Biohydrogen processes can be broadly classified as: photofermentation and dark fermentation. Two enzymes namely, nitrogenase and hydrogenase play an important role in biohydrogen production. Photofermentation by Purple Non-Sulfur bacteria (PNS) is a major field of research through which the overall yield for biological hydrogen production can be improved significantly by optimization of growth conditions and immobilization of active cells. The purpose of this paper is to review various processes of biohydrogen production using PNS bacteria along with several current developments. However, suitable process parameters such as carbon and nitrogen ratio, illumination intensity, bioreactor configuration and inoculum age may lead to higher yields of hydrogen generation using PNS bacteria.     

Chlorophyllide a Oxidoreductase Works as One of the Divinyl Reductases Specifically Involved in Bacteriochlorophyll a Biosynthesis

Bacteriochlorophyll a is widely distributed among anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria. In bacteriochlorophyll a biosynthesis, the reduction of the C8 vinyl group in 8-vinyl-chlorophyllide a is catalyzed to produce chlorophyllide a by an 8-vinyl reductase called divinyl reductase (DVR), which has been classified into two types, BciA and BciB. However, previous studies demonstrated that mutants lacking the DVR still synthesize normal bacteriochlorophyll a with the C8 ethyl group and suggested the existence of an unknown “third” DVR. Meanwhile, we recently observed that chlorophyllide a oxidoreductase (COR) of a purple bacterium happened to show the 8-vinyl reduction of 8-vinyl-chlorophyllide a in vitro. In this study, we made a double mutant lacking BciA and COR of the purple bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides in order to investigate whether the mutant still produces pigments with the C8 ethyl group or if COR actually works as the third DVR. The single mutant deleting BciA or COR showed production of the C8 ethyl group pigments, whereas the double mutant accumulated 8-vinyl-chlorophyllide, indicating that there was no enzyme other than BciA and COR functioning as the unknown third DVR in Rhodobacter sphaeroides (note that this bacterium has no bciB gene). Moreover, some COR genes derived from other groups of anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria were introduced into the double mutant, and all of the complementary strains produced normal bacteriochlorophyll a. This observation indicated that COR of these bacteria performs two functions, reductions of the C8 vinyl group and the C7=C8 double bond, and that such an activity is probably conserved in the widely ranging groups.     

Genetic cloning and functional expression in Escherichia coli of an archaerhodopsin gene from Halorubrum xinjiangense

Pairs of PCR primers that targeted the archae/bacteriorhodopsin gene were used to clone the archaerhodopsin (aR) gene of Halorubrum xinjiangense strain BD-1^T, and this gene was sequenced and functionally expressed in Escherichia coli. Recombinant E. coli cells harboring the plasmid carrying this gene became slightly purple or blue depending on whether they were supplemented with all- trans retinal or 3,4-dihydroretinal, respectively, during induction with IPTG. The purple and blue membranes from the recombinant E. coli showed maximal absorption at 555 and 588 nm, respectively, which are different from maximal absorption at 568 nm of the wild-type purple membrane. Purple membranes from the recombinant E. coli and from strain BD-1^T were investigated in parallel. The E. coli purple membrane was fabricated into films and photoelectric responses were observed that depended on the light-on and light-off stimuli.     

水稻土中紫色光合细菌沿纬度梯度的空间分异特征

紫色光合细菌由于其代谢途径的多样性,在环境中广泛分布,是生态系统中碳循环的参与者和推动者之一。但是,水稻土中紫色光合细菌群落结构的空间分异却鲜有报道。基于此,沿我国温度梯度带(纬度梯度:28.38°N—47.43°N),采集了8个典型水稻土,利用PCR-DGGE指纹图谱和系统发育树分析揭示不同地点水稻土中紫色光合细菌群落的组成;结合多个环境因子,利用生物信息学,典范对应分析(Canonical Correspondence Analysis,CCA)和最小判别效应分析(Cladogram,LDA)明确水稻土中紫色光合细菌的空间分异规律。研究发现我国8个典型水稻土中紫色光合细菌主要由变形菌门(Proteobacteria)的α和β这两个分支组成,主要为紫色非硫细菌;p H和纬度都是驱动水稻土中紫色光合细菌群落结构分异的关键因子。该认知不仅有助于更好地揭示稻田关键功能微生物群的生物地理学分布,还有助于进一步探究我国稻田生态系统有机质转化的时空差异。     

信号分子水杨酸减缓干旱胁迫对紫御谷光合和膜脂过氧化的副效应

为研究信号分子水杨酸(SA)对干旱胁迫下紫御谷光合和膜脂过氧化的影响,为SA应用于紫御谷抗旱育苗提供理论依据,测定分析了SA处理对干旱胁迫下紫御谷幼苗叶片光合和膜脂过氧化相关指标的变化。结果表明:(1)干旱胁迫破坏了紫御谷叶绿体的膜结构,使基粒数量明显减少,垛叠不明显,排列比较松散,而SA处理能在一定程度上保护叶绿体的膜结构。(2)干旱胁迫降低了紫御谷幼苗叶片的叶绿素b和总叶绿素含量,而SA处理能提高干旱胁迫下紫御谷幼苗叶片的叶绿素a、叶绿素b、总叶绿素和胡萝卜素含量。(3)干旱胁迫降低了叶片的净光合速率、气孔导度、蒸腾速率、光饱和点和暗呼吸速率,增加了叶片的光补偿点、CO₂饱和点、CO₂补偿点和光呼吸速率,而SA处理则增加了紫御谷幼苗叶片的净光合速率、气孔导度、光饱和点和暗呼吸速率,降低了紫御谷幼苗叶片的光补偿点、CO₂饱和点、CO₂补偿点和光呼吸速率。(4)干旱胁迫降低了紫御谷幼苗叶片的F_v/F_m和Φ_PSⅡ,显著增加了叶片的相对电导率和丙二醛含量,而SA处理则增加了幼苗叶片的F_v/F_m和Φ_PSⅡ,降低了叶片的相对电导率和丙二醛含量。表明:信号分子水杨酸能够有效减缓干旱胁迫对紫御谷光合和膜脂过氧化的影响。     

Carbodiimides inhibit the acid-induced purple-to-blue transition of bacteriorhodopsin

Reaction of purple membrane with water soluble carbodiimides inhibits the spectral transition from purple to blue observed at acid pH. The pK and Hill constant for this transition are shifted from 3.4 to 2.6 and from 1.8 to 0.85, respectively. The results suggest a connection between the uptake side of the proton pump and the purple-to-blue transition.     

The effect of respiration on the phototactic behavior of the purple nonsulfur bacterium Rhodospirillum centenum

The effect of respiration on the positive phototactic movement of swarming agar colonies of the facultative phototroph Rhodospirillum centenum was studied. When the electron flow was blocked at the bc ₁ complex level by myxothiazol, the oriented movement of the colonies was totally blocked. Conversely, inhibition of respiration via the cytochrome c oxidase stimulated the phototactic response. No phototaxis was observed in a photosynthesis deficient mutant (YB707) lacking bacteriochlorophylls. Analyses of the respiratory activities as monitored by a oxygen microelectrode in single agar colonies during light/dark transitions showed a close functional correlation between the photosynthetic and respiratory apparatuses. The respiratory chain of Rsp. centenum was formed by two oxidative pathways: one branch leading to a cytochrome c oxidase inhibited by low cyanide concentrations and a second pathway formed by an oxidase less-sensitive to cyanide that also catalyzes the light-driven respiration. These results were interpreted to indicate that (1) there is a cyclic electron transport, and (2) photoinduced cyclic electron flow is required for the phototactic response of Rsp. centenum. Furthermore, under oxic conditions in the light, reducing equivalents may switch from photosynthetic to respiratory components so as to reduce both the membrane potential and the rate of locomotion. Received: 25 September 1996 / Accepted: 11 November 1996