Premium
A putative greigite‐type magnetosome gene cluster from the candidate phylum L atescibacteria
Author(s) -
Lin Wei,
Pan Yongxin
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
environmental microbiology reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.229
H-Index - 69
ISSN - 1758-2229
DOI - 10.1111/1758-2229.12234
Subject(s) - magnetosome , greigite , biology , phylum , magnetotactic bacteria , gene , genetics , genome , gene cluster , horizontal gene transfer , bacteria , paleontology , magnetite
Summary The intracellular biomineralization of magnetite and/or greigite magnetosomes in magnetotactic bacteria ( MTB ) is strictly controlled by a group of conserved genes, termed magnetosome genes, which are organized as clusters (or islands) in MTB genomes. So far, all reported MTB are affiliated within the P roteobacteria phylum, the N itrospirae phylum and the candidate division OP 3. Here, we report the discovery of a putative magnetosome gene cluster structure from the draft genome of an uncultivated bacterium belonging to the candidate phylum L atescibacteria (formerly candidate division WS 3) recently recovered by Rinke and colleagues, which contains 10 genes with homology to magnetosome mam genes of magnetotactic P roteobacteria and N itrospirae . Moreover, these genes are phylogenetically closely related to greigite‐type magnetosome genes that were only found from the D eltaproteobacteria MTB before, suggesting that the greigite genes may originate earlier than previously imagined. These findings indicate that some members of L atescibacteria may be capable of forming greigite magnetosomes, and thus may play previously unrecognized roles in environmental iron and sulfur cycles. The conserved genomic structure of magnetosome gene cluster in L atescibacteria phylum supports the hypothesis of horizontal transfer of these genes among distantly related bacterial groups in nature.