Polysaccharide Utilization and Adhesion Enable the Genome-Streamlined Opacimonas immobilis to Adapt to the Diatom Phycosphere.

ABSTRACT: Heterotrophic bacteria and microalgae are key regulators of marine biogeochemical cycles. The phycosphere, a nutrient-rich microenvironment surrounding microalgae, serves as a crucial interface for bacterial-algal interactions. Our previous work identified Opacimonas immobilis LMIT016^T, a phycosphere isolate from the diatom Actinocyclus curvatulus that possesses the smallest genome within the Alteromonadaceae family. However, its adaptation mechanisms to the phycosphere remain unclear, particularly given its extensive genome streamlining, a process involving the selective loss of non-essential and energetically costly genes to enhance fitness in nutrient-specific niches. Here, the co-cultivation experiments demonstrated significant mutual growth promotion be

SUBMITTER: Yang X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12844025 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature