title: Characterization of uncultured giant rod-shaped magnetotactic Gammaproteobacteria from a freshwater pond in Kanazawa, Japan.
abstract: Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) are widespread aquatic bacteria, and are a phylogenetically, physiologically and morphologically heterogeneous group, but they all have the ability to orientate and move along the geomagnetic field using intracellular magnetic organelles called magnetosomes. Isolation and cultivation of novel MTB are necessary for a comprehensive understanding of magnetosome formation and function in divergent MTB. In this study, we enriched a giant rod-shaped magnetotactic bacterium (strain GRS-1) from a freshwater pond in Kanazawa, Japan. Cells of strain GRS-1 were unusually large (~13×~8 µm). They swam in a helical trajectory towards the south pole of a bar magnet by means of a polar bundle of flagella. Another striking feature of GRS-1 was the presence of two distinct intracellular biomineralized structures: large electron-dense granules composed of calcium and long chains of magnetosomes that surround the large calcium granules. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that this strain belongs to the Gammaproteobacteria and represents a new genus of MTB.
authors.affiliation: Bio-AFM Frontier Research Center, College of Science and Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, Japan.|School of Natural System, College of Science and Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Azuma
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Taoka
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Science, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Junya
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.affiliation: School of Natural System, College of Science and Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Zachery
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Oestreicher
authors.affiliation: Bio-AFM Frontier Research Center, College of Science and Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, Japan.|School of Natural System, College of Science and Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fukumori
mesh_terms: D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005407:Flagella / Q000502:physiology; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000382:microbiology*; D020563:Gammaproteobacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000166:cytology / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D007564:Japan; D008124:Locomotion; D008280:Magnetics; D055944:Magnetosomes / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008853:Microscopy; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D061005:Ponds / Q000382:microbiology; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S