''Sorangium cellulosum'' is a soil-dwelling
Gram-negative
Gram-negative bacteria are bacteria that, unlike gram-positive bacteria, do not retain the crystal violet stain used in the Gram staining method of bacterial differentiation. Their defining characteristic is that their cell envelope consists ...
bacterium
Bacteria (; : bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among the ...
of the group
myxobacteria
The myxobacteria ("slime bacteria") are a group of bacteria that predominantly live in the soil and feed on insoluble organic substances. The myxobacteria have very large genomes relative to other bacteria, e.g. 9–10 million nucleotides except ...
. It is motile and shows
gliding motility. Under stressful conditions this motility, as in other myxobacteria, the cells congregate to form
fruiting bodies and differentiate into myxospores. These congregating cells make isolation of
pure culture and colony counts on
agar
Agar ( or ), or agar-agar, is a jelly-like substance consisting of polysaccharides obtained from the cell walls of some species of red algae, primarily from " ogonori" and " tengusa". As found in nature, agar is a mixture of two components, t ...
medium difficult as the bacterium spread and colonies merge.
It has an unusually-large genome of 13,033,779 base pairs, making it the largest bacterial genome sequenced to date by roughly 4 Mb.
Ecology
''S. cellulosum'' is found in soils, animal feces, and tree bark.
The bacterium is a
saprophyte deriving its nutrition from cellulose aerobically. It is a prolific producer of secondary
fungicides
Fungicides are pesticides used to kill parasitic fungi or their spores. Fungi can cause serious damage in agriculture, resulting in losses of yield and quality. Fungicides are used both in agriculture and to fight fungal infections in animals, ...
and
bactericide
A bactericide or bacteriocide, sometimes abbreviated Bcidal, is a substance which kills bacteria. Bactericides are disinfectants, antiseptics, or antibiotics.
However, material surfaces can also have bactericidal properties based solely on their p ...
s that reduce competition in soil environments. In lab samples, ''S. cellulosum'' grows on agar medium only when certain cell densities are plated.
Quorum-sensing allows Sorangium to grow in communities sufficiently large to metabolize cellulose.
Secondary compounds
''Sorangium'' produces 50% of all known metabolites produced by myxobacteria.
These include compounds that are antifungal, antibacterial, antibiotic resistant, or can even disable mammalian cells. These many compounds have sparked intense mining of its extensive
genome
A genome is all the genetic information of an organism. It consists of nucleotide sequences of DNA (or RNA in RNA viruses). The nuclear genome includes protein-coding genes and non-coding genes, other functional regions of the genome such as ...
in exploration of possible industrial and medical applications. Some of these
secondary compounds include:
*Ambruticin and Jerangolid A - Antifungal agents.
*Chivosazol - a compound that destroys the actin skeleton of eukaryotic cells. It is effective against
both fungal and mammalian cells.
*
Epothilone
Epothilones are a class of potential cancer drugs. Like taxanes, they prevent cancer cells from dividing by interfering with tubulin, but in early trials, epothilones have better efficacy and milder adverse effects than taxanes.
Epothilones were ...
s - Compounds that target microtubule function leading to
apoptosis
Apoptosis (from ) is a form of programmed cell death that occurs in multicellular organisms and in some eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms such as yeast. Biochemistry, Biochemical events lead to characteristic cell changes (Morphology (biol ...
. Some derivatives are used to treat human cancers.
*Myxochelin A - Antibacterial agent that acts by sequestering iron in the environment.
*Soraphen A - An agent highly effective against plant-pathogenic fungi. It was extensively researched for agricultural use until it was discovered to be a
teratogen.
Industrial fermentation
Industrial fermentation is the intentional use of fermentation in manufacturing processes. In addition to the mass production of fermented foods and drinks, industrial fermentation has widespread applications in chemical industry. Commodity ch ...
and
genetic manipulation
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including th ...
of ''S. cellulosum'' is challenging.
Plasmids
A plasmid is a small, extrachromosomal DNA molecule within a cell that is physically separated from chromosomal DNA and can replicate independently. They are most commonly found as small circular, double-stranded DNA molecules in bacteria and ...
have been found to not function in ''S. cellulosum'' cells. Reproducible genetic alterations must be made directly into the single circular chromosome.
Clinical use
Metabolites
In biochemistry, a metabolite is an intermediate or end product of metabolism.
The term is usually used for small molecules. Metabolites have various functions, including fuel, structure, signaling, stimulatory and inhibitory effects on enzymes, c ...
secreted by ''Sorangium cellulosum'' known as
epothilone
Epothilones are a class of potential cancer drugs. Like taxanes, they prevent cancer cells from dividing by interfering with tubulin, but in early trials, epothilones have better efficacy and milder adverse effects than taxanes.
Epothilones were ...
s have been noted to have
antineoplastic activity.
This has led to the development of
analogs which mimic its activity. One such analog, known as
ixabepilone
Ixabepilone ( INN; also known as azaepothilone B, codenamed BMS-247550) is a pharmaceutical drug developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb as a chemotherapeutic medication for cancer.
History
Ixabepilone is a semi-synthetic analog of epothilone B, a ...
is a
U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved chemotherapy agent for the treatment of
metastatic
Metastasis is a pathogenic agent's spreading from an initial or primary site to a different or secondary site within the host's body; the term is typically used when referring to metastasis by a cancerous tumor. The newly pathological sites, ...
breast cancer
Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...
.
Ixabepilone
/ref>
References
External links
Type strain of ''Sorangium cellulosum'' at Bac''Dive'' - the Bacterial Diversity Metadatabase
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2523108
Gram-negative bacteria
Myxococcota