Identification and characterization of Rhodopseudomonas spp., a purple, non-sulfur bacterium from microbial mats

A species of facultative photo-organotrophic, purple, non-sulfur bacterium was isolated from mixed-species microbial mats, characterized and examined for metal tolerance and bioremediation potential. Contributing mats were natural consortia of microbes, dominated by cyanobacteria and containing several species of bacteria arranged in a laminar structure, stabilized within a gel matrix. Constructed microbial mats were used for bioremediation of heavy metals and organic chemical pollutants. Purple, non-sulfur bacteria are characteristically found in lower strata of intact mats, but their contributing function in mats survival and function by mediating the chemical environment has not been explored. The gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium, reported here, produced a dark red culture under phototrophic conditions, reproduced by budding and formed a lamellar intracytoplasmic membrane (ICM) system parallel to cytoplasmic membrane, which contained bacteriochlorophyll a and carotenoids. This strain was found to have multiple metal resistances and to be effective in the reductive removal of Cr(VI) and the degradation of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol. Based on the results obtained from morphology, nutrient requirements, major bacteriochlorophyll content, GC content, random amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR) profile and 16S-rDNA phylogenetic analysis, this member of the microbial mats may be identified as a new strain of the genus Rhodopseudomonas.