A new giant bacterium reminiscent of eukaryotes
Une nouvelle bactérie géante réminiscence des eucaryotes
Abstract
A giant bacterium Thiomargarita magnifica has been described in the mangroves of Guadeloupe by a Franco-American team (Volland JM et al., 2022). Measuring 0.6 to 2 cm, the filament visible to the naked eye consists of a single cell, without a dividing septum, and a large central vacuole restricting the cytoplasm to a thin peripheral layer containing sulfur granules (sulfide-oxidizing bacteria) and membrane organelles sequestrating DNA, reminiscent of nuclei of eukaryotes. This polyploidy is also found in the other very rare giant bacteria described so far. It could be an example of transition or adaptation of eukaryotic mimicking bacteria under extreme conditions of survival.
Origin : Files produced by the author(s)