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Updated: Mar 22, 2026

Establishing Stable Binary Cultures of Symbiotic Saccharibacteria from the Oral Cavity
Published on: April 13, 2021
Phylogenetic diversity and ecophysiology of Candidate phylum Saccharibacteria in activated sludge
Tomonori Kindaichi1, Shiro Yamaoka2, Ryohei Uehara2
1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hiroshima University, 1-4-1 Kagamiyama, Higashihiroshima, 739-8527 Japan Center for Microbial Communities, Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Fredrik Bajers Vej 7H, DK-9220 Aalborg E, Denmark.
Abstract:
Candidate phylum Saccharibacteria (former TM7) are abundant and widespread in nature, but little is known about their ecophysiology and detailed phylogeny. In this study phylogeny, morphology and ecophysiology of Saccharibacteria were investigated in activated sludge from nine wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) from Japan and Denmark using the full-cycle 16S rRNA approach in combination with microautoradiography (MAR) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Phylogenetic analysis showed that Saccharibacteria from all WWTPs were evenly distributed within subdivision 1 and 3 and in a distinct phylogenetic clade. Three probes were designed for the distinct saccharibacterial groups, and revealed morphotypes representing thin filaments, thick filaments and rods/cocci. MAR-FISH results showed that most probe-defined Saccharibacteria utilized glucose under aerobic-, nitrate reducing- and anaerobic conditions. Some Saccharibacteria also utilized N-acetylglucosamine, oleic acid, amino acids and butyrate, which are not predicted from available genomes so far. In addition, some filamentous Saccharibacteria exhibited β-galactosidase and lipase activities determined using a combination of enzyme-labeled fluorescence and FISH (ELF-FISH). No uptake of acetate, propionate, pyruvate, glycerol and ethanol was observed. These results indicate that Saccharibacteria is a phylogenetically diverse group and play a role in the degradation of various organic compounds as well as sugar compounds under aerobic-, nitrate reducing- and anaerobic conditions.
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