Sedimenticola thiotaurini sp. nov., a sulfur-oxidizing bacterium isolated from salt marsh sediments, and emended descriptions of the genus Sedimenticola and Sedimenticola selenatireducens

A marine facultative anaerobe, strain SIP-G1T, was isolated from salt marsh sediments, Falmouth, MA, USA. Phylogenetic analysis of its 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that it belongs to an unclassified clade of Gammaproteobacteria that includes numerous sulfur-oxidizing bacteria that are endosymbionts of marine invertebrates endemic to sulfidic habitats. Strain SIP-G1T is a member of the genus Sedimenticola, of which there is one previously described isolate, Sedimenticola selenatireducens AK4OH1T. S. selenatireducens AK4OH1T was obtained for further characterization and comparison with strain SIP-G1T. The two strains were capable of coupling the oxidation of thiosulfate, tetrathionate, elemental sulfur and sulfide to autotrophic growth and they produced sulfur inclusions as metabolic intermediates. They showed varying degrees of O2 sensitivity, but when provided amino acids or peptides as a source of energy, they appeared more tolerant of O2 and exhibited concomitant production of elemental sulfur inclusions. The organic substrate preferences and limitations of these two organisms suggest that they possess an oxygen-sensitive carbon fixation pathway(s). Organic acids may be used to produce NADPH through the TCA cycle and are used in the formation of polyhydroxyalkanoates. Cell-wall-deficient morphotypes appeared when organic compounds (especially acetate) were present in excess and reduced sulfur was absent. Levels of DNA–DNA hybridization (∼47 %) and phenotypic characterization indicate that strain SIP-G1T represents a separate species within the genus Sedimenticola, for which the name Sedimenticola thiotaurini sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SIP-G1T ( = ATCC BAA-2640T = DSM 28581T). The results also justify emended descriptions of the genus Sedimenticola and of S. selenatireducens.

Dominant Microbial Populations in Limestone-Corroding Stream Biofilms, Frasassi Cave System, Italy

ABSTRACT Waters from an extensive sulfide-rich aquifer emerge in the Frasassi cave system, where they mix with oxygen-rich percolating water and cave air over a large surface area. The actively forming cave complex hosts a microbial community, including conspicuous white biofilms coating surfaces in cave streams, that is isolated from surface sources of C and N. Two distinct biofilm morphologies were observed in the streams over a 4-year period. Bacterial 16S rDNA libraries were constructed from samples of each biofilm type collected from Grotta Sulfurea in 2002. β-, γ-, δ-, and ε-proteobacteria in sulfur-cycling clades accounted for ≥75% of clones in both biofilms. Sulfate-reducing and sulfur-disproportionating δ-proteobacterial sequences in the clone libraries were abundant and diverse (34% of phylotypes). Biofilm samples of both types were later collected at the same location and at an additional sample site in Ramo Sulfureo and examined, using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The biomass of all six stream biofilms was dominated by filamentous γ-proteobacteria with Beggiatoa-like and/or Thiothrix-like cells containing abundant sulfur inclusions. The biomass of ε-proteobacteria detected using FISH was consistently small, ranging from 0 to less than 15% of the total biomass. Our results suggest that S cycling within the stream biofilms is an important feature of the cave biogeochemistry. Such cycling represents positive biological feedback to sulfuric acid speleogenesis and related processes that create subsurface porosity in carbonate rocks.

The fine structure of Thioploca araucae and Thioploca chileae

Thioploca araucae and Thioploca chileae from the sublittoral soft bottoms of the coastal upwelling ecosystem off central Chile were examined by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Except for filament diameter (30–43 and 12–20 μm, respectively) and slight differences in other dimensions and surface topology, the details of fine structure were essentially identical in the two species. The wall consisted of five layers, and only the inner layer was present in the septum. Multiple membrane intrusions dissected the procaryotic cytoplasmic material, which was restricted to a relatively thin layer within the wall. Sulfur inclusions and two other extracytoplasmic inclusions, as well as one kind of intracytoplasmic inclusion, were described. The central part of each cell consisted of one large vacuole, extending from septum to septum and representing a volume at least more than three times larger than the combined volume of wall and cytoplasm. The vacuole was separated from the other cell parts by a membrane. Electron-dense material was deposited between vacuole membrane and plasma membrane, between plasma membrane and wall, and inside membrane intrusions. A continuity between the vacuolar membrane and the other membranes was never encountered. The possible origin of such an extracytoplasmic membrane is discussed. Key words: benthos, electron microscopy, fine structure, Thioploca.