A Model Roseobacter, Ruegeria pomeroyi DSS-3, Employs a Diffusible Killing Mechanism To Eliminate Competitors.

ABSTRACT: The Roseobacter clade is a group of alphaproteobacteria that have diverse metabolic and regulatory capabilities. They are abundant in marine environments and have a substantial role in marine ecology and biogeochemistry. However, interactions between roseobacters and other bacterioplankton have not been extensively explored. In this study, we identify a killing mechanism in the model roseobacter Ruegeria pomeroyi DSS-3 by coculturing it with a group of phylogenetically diverse bacteria. The killing mechanism is diffusible and occurs when cells are grown both on surfaces and in suspension and is dependent on cell density. A screen of random transposon mutants revealed that the killing phenotype, as well as resistance to killing, require genes within an ∼8-kb putative gamma-but

SUBMITTER: Sharpe GC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7426152 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature