Sulfur Globule
A sulfur globule is an intracellular, and sometimes extracellular, aggregate used by various sulfur oxidizing bacteria as storage for elemental sulfur. Sulfur globules were first explained in 1887 by Sergei Winogradsky, and their complete structure and chemical composition has been a debate since then. More recently, tools of fluorescence microscopy and genomics have begun to shed light on the structure, formation, and function of sulfur globules. Further, sulfur globules have been primarily described in chemoautotrophs and phototrophs belonging to the phylum proteobacteria. Sulfur globules can be formed and deposited intracellularly or extracellularly. The formation of extracellular sulfur globules is generally characteristic of green sulfur bacteria and sulfur oxidizers from the family Ectothiorhodospiraceae, whereas intracellular sulfur globules are more typical of magnetotactic sulfur oxidizers, purple sulfur bacteria from the Chromatiaceae family, as well as sulfur-oxidizing ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sulfur Oxidizing Bacteria
Microbial metabolism is the means by which a microbe obtains the energy and nutrients (e.g. carbon) it needs to live and reproduce. Microbes use many different types of metabolic strategies and species can often be differentiated from each other based on metabolic characteristics. The specific metabolic properties of a microbe are the major factors in determining that microbe's ecological niche, and often allow for that microbe to be useful in industrial processes or responsible for biogeochemical cycles. Types All microbial metabolisms can be arranged according to three principles: 1. How the organism obtains carbon for synthesizing cell mass:Morris, J. et al. (2019). "Biology: How Life Works", 3rd edition, W. H. Freeman. * autotrophic – carbon is obtained from carbon dioxide () * heterotrophic – carbon is obtained from organic compounds * mixotrophic – carbon is obtained from both organic compounds and by fixing carbon dioxide 2. How the organism obtains reducing equi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Magnetotactic
Magnetotaxis is a process implemented by a diverse group of Gram-negative bacteria that involves orienting and coordinating movement in response to Earth's magnetic field. This process is mainly carried out by microaerophilic and anaerobic bacteria found in aquatic environments such as salt marshes, seawater, and freshwater lakes. By sensing the magnetic field, the bacteria are able to orient themselves towards environments with more favorable oxygen concentrations. This orientation towards more favorable oxygen concentrations allows the bacteria to reach these environments faster as opposed to random movement through Brownian motion. Overview Magnetic bacteria (e.g. ''Magnetospirillum magnetotacticum'') contain internal structures known as magnetosomes which are responsible for the process of magnetotaxis. After orienting to the magnetic field using the magnetosomes, the bacteria use flagella to swim along the magnetic field, towards the more favorable environment. Magnetotaxis h ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Octasulfur
Octasulfur is an inorganic substance with the chemical formula . It is an odourless and tasteless yellow solid, and is a major industrial chemical. It is the most common allotrope of sulfur Sulfur ( American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphur ( Commonwealth spelling) is a chemical element; it has symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms ... and occurs widely in nature.Steudel, R., "Homocyclic Sulfur Molecules", Topics Curr. Chem. 1982, 102, 149. Nomenclature The name octasulfur is the most commonly used for this chemical. It is systematically named ''cyclo''-octasulfur (which is the preferred IUPAC name) and cyclooctasulfane. It is also the final member of the thiocane heterocylic series, where every carbon atom is substituted with a sulfur atom, thus this sulfur allotrope is systematically named octathiocane as well. Structure The chemical consists of rings of 8 sulfur ato ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Purple Sulfur Bacteria
The purple sulfur bacteria (PSB) are part of a group of Pseudomonadota capable of photosynthesis, collectively referred to as purple bacteria. They are anaerobic or microaerophilic, and are often found in stratified water environments including hot springs, stagnant water bodies, as well as microbial mats in intertidal zones.Hunter, C.N., Daldal, F., Thurnauer, M.C., Beatty, J.T"The Purple Phototropic Bacteria" '' Springer-Dordrecht'', 2008. Unlike plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, purple sulfur bacteria do not use water as their reducing agent, and therefore do not produce oxygen. Instead, they can use sulfur in the form of sulfide, or thiosulfate (as well, some species can use H2, Fe2+, or NO2−) as the electron donor in their photosynthetic pathways. The sulfur is oxidized to produce granules of elemental sulfur. This, in turn, may be oxidized to form sulfuric acid. The purple sulfur bacteria are largely divided into two families, the Chromatiaceae and the Ectothiorhodo ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Allochromatium
''Allochromatium'' is a genus of bacteria in the family Chromatiaceae The Chromatiaceae are one of the two families of purple sulfur bacteria, together with the Ectothiorhodospiraceae. They belong to the order Chromatiales of the class Gammaproteobacteria, which is composed by unicellular Gram-negative bacteria, Gr ...br> Species * '' Allochromatium humboldtianum'' * '' Allochromatium minutissimum'' * '' Allochromatium phaeobacterium'' * '' Allochromatium renukae'' * '' Allochromatium vinosum'' * '' Allochromatium warmingii'' References Chromatiales Lithoautotrophs Bacteria genera {{Chromatiales-stub ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Endosymbiont
An endosymbiont or endobiont is an organism that lives within the body or cells of another organism. Typically the two organisms are in a mutualism (biology), mutualistic relationship. Examples are nitrogen-fixing bacteria (called rhizobia), which live in the root nodules of legumes, single-cell algae inside Coral reef, reef-building corals, and bacterial endosymbionts that provide essential nutrients to insects. Endosymbiosis played key roles in the development of eukaryotes and plants. Roughly 2.2 billion years ago an archaeon absorbed a bacterium through phagocytosis, that eventually became the mitochondria that provide energy to almost all living Eukaryote, eukaryotic cells. Approximately 1 billion years ago, some of those cells absorbed cyanobacteria that eventually became chloroplasts, organelles that produce energy from sunlight. Approximately 100 million years ago, a lineage of amoeba in the genus ''Paulinella'' independently engulfed a cyanobacterium that evolved to be f ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Chromatiaceae
The Chromatiaceae are one of the two families of purple sulfur bacteria, together with the Ectothiorhodospiraceae. They belong to the order Chromatiales of the class Gammaproteobacteria, which is composed by unicellular Gram-negative bacteria, Gram-negative organisms. Most of the species are photolithoautotrophs and conduct an anoxygenic photosynthesis, but there are also representatives capable of growing under dark and/or microaerobic conditions as either chemolithoautotrophs or chemoorganoheterotrophs. Both Ectothiorhodospiraceae and Chromatiaceae bacteria produce Sulfur, elemental sulfur globules, the difference is that in the second case they are stored inside the cells rather than outside. Sulfur is an intermediate in the oxidization of sulfide, which is ultimately converted into sulfate, and may serve as a reserve. History of classification Although purple sulfur bacteria have been known for some time, the difficulty in cultivating these microorganisms in the laboratory ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Purple Sulfur Bacteria
The purple sulfur bacteria (PSB) are part of a group of Pseudomonadota capable of photosynthesis, collectively referred to as purple bacteria. They are anaerobic or microaerophilic, and are often found in stratified water environments including hot springs, stagnant water bodies, as well as microbial mats in intertidal zones.Hunter, C.N., Daldal, F., Thurnauer, M.C., Beatty, J.T"The Purple Phototropic Bacteria" '' Springer-Dordrecht'', 2008. Unlike plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, purple sulfur bacteria do not use water as their reducing agent, and therefore do not produce oxygen. Instead, they can use sulfur in the form of sulfide, or thiosulfate (as well, some species can use H2, Fe2+, or NO2−) as the electron donor in their photosynthetic pathways. The sulfur is oxidized to produce granules of elemental sulfur. This, in turn, may be oxidized to form sulfuric acid. The purple sulfur bacteria are largely divided into two families, the Chromatiaceae and the Ectothiorhodo ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ectothiorhodospiraceae
The Ectothiorhodospiraceae are a family of purple sulfur bacteria, distinguished by producing sulfur globules outside of their cells.George M. Garrity: ''Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology''. 2. Auflage. Springer, New York, 2005, Volume 2: ''The Proteobacteria, Part B: The Gammaproteobacteria'' The cells are rod-shaped, vibrioid, or spirilla, and they are able to move using flagella. In general, they are marine and prefer anaerobic conditions. Ectothiorhodospiraceae are a vibrio bacteria that require salty living conditions to survive and grow: classifying them as slightly halophilic. Like all purple sulfur bacteria, they are capable of photosynthesis Photosynthesis ( ) is a system of biological processes by which photosynthetic organisms, such as most plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, convert light energy, typically from sunlight, into the chemical energy necessary to fuel their metabo .... To complete this energy process, Sulfur compounds are used as electron do ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Elemental Sulfur
The element sulfur exists as many allotropes. In number of allotropes, sulfur is second only to carbon. Greenwood, 652 In addition to the allotropes, each allotrope often exists in polymorphs (different crystal structures of the same covalently bonded Sn molecules) delineated by Greek prefixes (α, β, etc.). Furthermore, because elemental sulfur has been an item of commerce for centuries, its various forms are given traditional names. Early workers identified some forms that have later proved to be single or mixtures of allotropes. Some forms have been named for their appearance, e.g. "mother of pearl sulfur", or alternatively named for a chemist who was pre-eminent in identifying them, e.g. "Muthmann's sulfur I" or "Engel's sulfur". Steudel, 17 The most commonly encountered form of sulfur is the orthorhombic polymorph of , which adopts a puckered ring – or "crown" – structure. Two other polymorphs are known, also with nearly identical molecular structures. Greenwood, 654 I ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Green Sulfur Bacteria
The green sulfur bacteria are a phylum, Chlorobiota, of obligately anaerobic photoautotrophic bacteria that metabolize sulfur. Green sulfur bacteria are nonmotile (except ''Chloroherpeton thalassium'', which may glide) and capable of anoxygenic photosynthesis. They live in anaerobic aquatic environments. In contrast to plants, green sulfur bacteria mainly use sulfide ions as electron donors. They are autotrophs that utilize the reverse tricarboxylic acid cycle to perform carbon fixation. They are also mixotrophs and reduce nitrogen. Characteristics Green sulfur bacteria are gram-negative rod or spherical shaped bacteria. Some types of green sulfur bacteria have gas vacuoles that allow for movement. They are photolithoautotrophs, and use light energy and reduced sulfur compounds as the electron source. Electron donors include , , S. The major photosynthetic pigment in these bacteria is Bacteriochlorophylls ''c'' or ''d'' in green species and ''e'' in brown species, and is ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Proteobacteria
Pseudomonadota (synonym "Proteobacteria") is a major phylum of gram-negative bacteria. Currently, they are considered the predominant phylum within the domain of bacteria. They are naturally found as pathogenic and free-living (non-parasitic) genera. The phylum comprises six classes ''Acidithiobacillia, Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Hydrogenophilia'', and '' Zetaproteobacteria.'' The Pseudomonadota are widely diverse, with differences in morphology, metabolic processes, relevance to humans, and ecological influence. Classification American microbiologist Carl Woese established this grouping in 1987, calling it informally the "purple bacteria and their relatives". The group was later formally named the 'Proteobacteria' after the Greek god Proteus, who was known to assume many forms. In 2021 the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes designated the synonym Pseudomonadota, and renamed many other prokaryotic phyla as well. This rena ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |