Abstract
Aerobic heterotrophic bacteria containing bacteriochlorophyll were isolated from specimens from a wide variety of marine environments on the west (Shark Bay, Lake Clifton, Lake Heyward, and Perth) and east (near Townsville and Brisbane) coasts of Australia. The bacteria were found in a high proportion (10 to 30%) of the total heterotrophic bacterial strains isolated from marine algae, seagrasses, stromatolites, the epiphytes on stromatolites, seawater, and sands; in some cases they constituted up to 49% of the total. This is much higher than the previous report of 6% from Japan. A high percentage, 13%, was also found in the seawater of Hamelin Pool, at Shark Bay, where the salinity was 66%. The number of these bacteria was generally low in seawater and sands, with a few exceptions. There were no aerobic bacteriochlorophyll-containing bacteria on sponges or corals. The isolated strains were orange or pink, and most had absorption maxima around 800 and 850 to 870 nm, the latter range being the absorption of bacteriochlorophyll a in vivo. The maximum bacteriochlorophyll content was 1 nmol/mg (dry weight) of bacterial cells. Most of the bacteria did not grow phototrophically under anaerobic conditions in a broth medium containing succinate. Cells and cell extracts grown under aerobic conditions had photochemical activities such as reversible photooxidations of the reaction center and cytochrome(s). Some strains showed denitrifying activity. The optimal salinity for bacterial growth varied between strains.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Arata H., Serikawa Y., Takamiya K. Trimethylamine N-oxide respiration by aerobic photosynthetic bacterium, Erythrobacter sp. OCh 114. J Biochem. 1988 Jun;103(6):1011–1015. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.jbchem.a122371. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Dravis J. J. Hardened subtidal stromatolites, bahamas. Science. 1983 Jan 28;219(4583):385–386. doi: 10.1126/science.219.4583.385. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Sato K. Bacteriochlorophyll formation by facultative methylotrophs, Protaminobacter ruber and Pseudomonas AM 1. FEBS Lett. 1978 Jan 15;85(2):207–210. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(78)80456-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Shiba T., Harashima K. Aerobic photosynthetic bacteria. Microbiol Sci. 1986 Dec;3(12):376–378. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Shiba T., Simidu U., Taga N. Distribution of aerobic bacteria which contain bacteriochlorophyll a. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1979 Jul;38(1):43–45. doi: 10.1128/aem.38.1.43-45.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]