Candidatus Chloracidobacterium thermophilum: An Aerobic Phototrophic Acidobacterium
Donald A. Bryant,1*
Amaya M. Garcia Costas,1
Julia A. Maresca,1
Aline Gomez Maqueo Chew,1
Christian G. Klatt,2
Mary M. Bateson,2
Luke J. Tallon,3
Jessica Hostetler,3
William C. Nelson,3
John F. Heidelberg,3,4
David M. Ward2
Only five bacterial phyla with members capable of chlorophyll (Chl)–based phototrophy are presently known. Metagenomic data from the phototrophic microbial mats of alkaline siliceous hot springs in Yellowstone National Park revealed the existence of a distinctive bacteriochlorophyll (BChl)–synthesizing, phototrophic bacterium. A highly enriched culture of this bacterium grew photoheterotrophically, synthesized BChls a and c under oxic conditions, and had chlorosomes and type 1 reaction centers. "Candidatus Chloracidobacterium thermophilum" is a BChl-producing member of the poorly characterized phylum Acidobacteria.
1 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
2 Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Post Office Box 173120, Bozeman, MT 59717–3120, USA.
3 The Institute for Genomic Research, 9712 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD 20850, USA.
4 Department of Biology, University of Southern California, Wrigley Marine Science Center, Post Office Box 5069, Avalon, CA 90704, USA.
Present address: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Present address: Department of Microbiology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: dab14{at}psu.edu
