Related Experiment Videos
Multicellular life cycle of magnetotactic prokaryotes
Carolina N Keim1, Juliana L Martins, Fernanda Abreu
1Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Bloco F, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-590 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
FEMS Microbiology Letters
|November 4, 2004
Summary
This study reveals a novel multicellular prokaryote that remains multicellular throughout its life cycle, unlike most organisms. It reproduces via binary fission, dividing into two identical multicellular entities.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Prokaryotic Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Most multicellular organisms, including prokaryotes, animals, plants, and algae, exhibit a unicellular stage in their life cycle.
- The discovery of a perpetually multicellular prokaryote challenges conventional life cycle models.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe a newly identified, uncultured prokaryotic organism exhibiting multicellularity throughout its entire life cycle.
- To investigate the reproductive mechanisms and phylogenetic relationships of this unique organism.
Main Methods:
- Microscopic observation of the organism's morphology and life cycle stages.
- Analysis of its reproductive process, specifically binary fission.
- Molecular biology techniques to determine phylogenetic placement within Proteobacteria.
Main Results:
- The organism is multicellular in all life stages, forming a hollow, polarized sphere of coordinated cells.
- Reproduction occurs through synchronous cell division, resulting in two equal, spherical multicellular daughter organisms.
- Phylogenetic analysis places the organism within the delta sub-group of Proteobacteria, related to other magnetotactic prokaryotes.
Conclusions:
- This is the first reported instance of a multicellular prokaryotic organism that reproduces by dividing into two identical multicellular progeny.
- The findings suggest a unique evolutionary path for multicellularity in prokaryotes, distinct from organisms with unicellular stages.