Babela massiliensis, a representative of a widespread bacterial phylum with unusual adaptations to parasitism in amoebae.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Only a small fraction of bacteria and archaea that are identifiable by metagenomics can be grown on standard media. Recent efforts on deep metagenomics sequencing, single-cell genomics and the use of specialized culture conditions (culturomics) increasingly yield novel microbes some of which represent previously uncharacterized phyla and possess unusual biological traits.

Results

We report isolation and genome analysis of Babela massiliensis, an obligate intracellular parasite of Acanthamoeba castellanii. B. massiliensis shows an unusual, fission mode of cell multiplication whereby large, polymorphic bodies accumulate in the cytoplasm of infected amoeba and then split into mature bacterial cells. This unique mechanism of cell division is associated with a deep deg

SUBMITTER: Pagnier I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4378268 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature