Identification of “
            <i>Candidatus</i>
            Thioturbo danicus,” a Microaerophilic Bacterium That Builds Conspicuous Veils on Sulfidic Sediments

Muyzer, Gerard; Yildirim, E. A.; Dongen, Udo van; Kühl, Michael; Thar, Roland

doi:10.1128/aem.71.12.8929-8933.2005

Cited by 27 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…In a sense, this provides a form of motility to the cell. A comparable set of functions can be found in sulfur oxidizers Thiovulum and Thioturbo, which colonize sulfide/O 2 gradient environments with thin, threadlike 'mucous' stalks, forming 'veils' in which conditions are optimal (Fenchel, 1994;Thar and Kuhl, 2002;Muyzer et al, 2005). Similar to Mariprofundus, the cells rotate about the axis parallel to the stalk; this rotation has been associated with aerotaxis and fluid mixing.…”

Section: Physiological Implications Of Stalk Formationmentioning

confidence: 84%

Lithotrophic iron-oxidizing bacteria produce organic stalks to control mineral growth: implications for biosignature formation

et al. 2010

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Neutrophilic Fe-oxidizing bacteria (FeOB) are often identified by their distinctive morphologies, such as the extracellular twisted ribbon-like stalks formed by Gallionella ferruginea or Mariprofundus ferrooxydans. Similar filaments preserved in silica are often identified as FeOB fossils in rocks. Although it is assumed that twisted iron stalks are indicative of FeOB, the stalk's metabolic role has not been established. To this end, we studied the marine FeOB M. ferrooxydans by light, X-ray and electron microscopy. Using time-lapse light microscopy, we observed cells excreting stalks during growth (averaging 2.2 lm h À1 ). Scanning transmission X-ray microscopy and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy show that stalks are Fe(III)-rich, whereas cells are low in Fe. Transmission electron microscopy reveals that stalks are composed of several fibrils, which contain few-nanometer-sized iron oxyhydroxide crystals. Lepidocrocite crystals that nucleated on the fibril surface are much larger (B100 nm), suggesting that mineral growth within fibrils is retarded, relative to sites surrounding fibrils. C and N 1s NEXAFS spectroscopy and fluorescence probing show that stalks primarily contain carboxyl-rich polysaccharides. On the basis of these results, we suggest a physiological model for Fe oxidation in which cells excrete oxidized Fe bound to organic polymers. These organic molecules retard mineral growth, preventing cell encrustation. This model describes an essential role for stalk formation in FeOB growth. We suggest that stalk-like morphologies observed in modern and ancient samples may be correlated confidently with the Fe-oxidizing metabolism as a robust biosignature.

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Section: Physiological Implications Of Stalk Formationmentioning

confidence: 84%

Lithotrophic iron-oxidizing bacteria produce organic stalks to control mineral growth: implications for biosignature formation

et al. 2010

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“…data). Recently, Muyzer and colleagues (2005) could also identify NivaVib2 as an Arcobacter sp. Interestingly, filamentous sulfur formation has not as yet been observed in freshwater environments, possibly related to the generally much lower sulfide concentrations.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Growth and mechanism of filamentous‐sulfur formation by Candidatus Arcobacter sulfidicus in opposing oxygen‐sulfide gradients

Sievert

Wieringa

Wirsen

et al. 2006

Environmental Microbiology

103

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Studies were conducted in opposing gradients of oxygen and sulfide in microslide capillaries to (i) characterize the chemical microenvironment preferred by Candidatus Arcobacter sulfidicus, a highly motile, sulfur-oxidizing bacterium that produces sulfur in filamentous form, and (ii) to develop a model describing the mechanism of filamentous-sulfur formation. The highly motile microorganisms are microaerophilic, with swarms effectively aggregating within oxic-anoxic interfaces by exhibiting a chemotactic response. The position of the band was found to be largely independent of the sulfide concentration as it always formed at the oxic-anoxic interface. Flux calculations based on steady state gradients of oxygen and sulfide indicate that sulfide is incompletely oxidized to sulfur, in line with the formation of filamentous sulfur by these organisms. It is proposed that Candidatus Arcobacter sulfidicus effectively competes with other sulfur-oxidizing bacteria in the environment by being able to tolerate higher concentrations of hydrogen sulfide (1-2 mM) and by possessing the ability to grow at very low oxygen concentrations (1-10 muM). The formation of mat-like structures from filamentous sulfur appears to be a population mediated effort allowing these organisms to effectively colonize environments characterized by high sulfide, low oxygen and dynamic fluid movement.

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“…As mentioned before, the sulfur-oxidizing bacteria are fairly fast swimmers, with velocities of at least 50 µm/s and as high as 600 µm/s Muyzer et al 2005), whereas E. coli has a maximum velocity of only 30 µm/s. We speculate that one benefit of such high swimming speeds is the generation of the instability that leads to the convective patterns described here.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…The fluid flow created by the anchored bacteria exerts force on the free-swimming bacteria and the veil. The veil undergoes a transition from a uniform distribution into either stripes or spotted patterns that are similar to convection rolls and cells in appearance, although the physical mechanism is quite different (Muyzer et al 2005;Kühl 2002, 2003;Thar and Fenchel 2001;Fenchel and Glud 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Two-Dimensional Patterns in Bacterial Veils Arise from Self-generated, Three-Dimensional Fluid Flows

Cogan

Wolgemuth

2010

Bull. Math. Biol.

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The behavior of collections of oceanic bacteria is controlled by metabolic (chemotaxis) and physical (fluid motion) processes. Some sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, such as Thiovulum majus, unite these two processes via a material interface produced by the bacteria and upon which the bacteria are transiently attached. This interface, termed a bacterial veil, is formed by exo-polymeric substances (EPS) produced by the bacteria. By adhering to the veil while continuing to rotate their flagella, the bacteria are able to exert force on the fluid surroundings. This behavior induces a fluid flow that, in turn, causes the bacteria to aggregate leading to the formation of a physical pattern in the veil. These striking patterns are very similar in flavor to the classic convection instability observed when a shallow fluid is heated from below. However, the physics are very different since the flow around the veil is mediated by the bacteria and affects the bacterial densities. In this study, we extend a model of a one-dimensional veil in a two-dimensional fluid to the more realistic two-dimensional veil in a three-dimensional fluid. The linear stability analysis indicates that the Peclet number serves as a bifurcation parameter, which is consistent with experimental observations. We also solve the nonlinear problem numerically and are able to obtain patterns that are similar to those observed in the experiments.

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Identification of “ Candidatus Thioturbo danicus,” a Microaerophilic Bacterium That Builds Conspicuous Veils on Sulfidic Sediments

Cited by 27 publications

References 32 publications

Lithotrophic iron-oxidizing bacteria produce organic stalks to control mineral growth: implications for biosignature formation

Lithotrophic iron-oxidizing bacteria produce organic stalks to control mineral growth: implications for biosignature formation

Growth and mechanism of filamentous‐sulfur formation by Candidatus Arcobacter sulfidicus in opposing oxygen‐sulfide gradients

Two-Dimensional Patterns in Bacterial Veils Arise from Self-generated, Three-Dimensional Fluid Flows

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