title: Deciphering unusual uncultured magnetotactic multicellular prokaryotes through genomics.
abstract: Candidatus Magnetoglobus multicellularis (Ca. M. multicellularis) is a member of a group of uncultured magnetotactic prokaryotes that possesses a unique multicellular morphology. To better understand this organism's physiology, we used a genomic approach through pyrosequencing. Genomic data analysis corroborates previous structural studies and reveals the proteins that are likely involved in multicellular morphogenesis of this microorganism. Interestingly, some detected protein sequences that might be involved in cell adhesion are homologues to phylogenetically unrelated filamentous multicellular bacteria proteins, suggesting their contribution in the early development of multicellular organization in Bacteria. Genes related to the behavior of Ca. M. multicellularis (chemo-, photo- and magnetotaxis) and its metabolic capabilities were analyzed. On the basis of the genomic-physiologic information, enrichment media were tested. One medium supported chemoorganoheterotrophic growth of Ca. M. multicellularis and allowed the microorganisms to maintain their multicellular morphology and cell cycle, confirming for the first time that the entire life cycle of the MMP occurs in a multicellular form. Because Ca. M. multicellularis has a unique multicellular life style, its cultivation is an important achievement for further studies regarding the multicellular evolution in prokaryotes.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernanda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Abreu
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Viviana
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Morillo
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fabrícia F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Nascimento
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Clarissa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Werneck
authors.affiliation: 1] Departamento de Matemática Aplicada e Computacional, Laboratório Nacional de Computação Científica, Petrópolis, Brazil [2] Embrapa Suínos e Aves, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mauricio Egidio
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Cantão
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Matemática Aplicada e Computacional, Laboratório Nacional de Computação Científica, Petrópolis, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luciane Prioli
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Ciapina
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Matemática Aplicada e Computacional, Laboratório Nacional de Computação Científica, Petrópolis, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luiz Gonzaga Paula
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: de Almeida
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Bioénergétique Cellulaire, CEA Cadarache/CNRS/Aix-Marseille Université, UMR7265 Biologie Végétale et Microbiologie Environnementales, Saint Paul lez Durance, France.
authors.forename: Christopher T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Lefèvre
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada at Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, USA.
authors.forename: Dennis A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Bazylinski
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Matemática Aplicada e Computacional, Laboratório Nacional de Computação Científica, Petrópolis, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Tereza Ribeiro
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: de Vasconcelos
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ulysses
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Lins
mesh_terms: D005075:Biological Evolution; D020564:Deltaproteobacteria / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D023281:Genomics; D010802:Phylogeny