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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Biogeochemistry
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Cable bacteria are multicellular filaments performing electrogenic sulfur oxidation.
  • Ghost cells, lacking metabolic activity, are found in cable bacteria but their origin and impact are unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Quantify ghost cell abundance in cable bacteria.
  • Investigate ghost cell morphology and origin.
  • Assess the impact of ghost cells on filament function.

Main Methods:

  • Targeted propidium iodide staining for ghost cell quantification.
  • Microscopy for morphology and in situ observation.
  • Assessing filament motility and electron transport capacity.

Main Results:

  • Ghost cells are naturally occurring, not sampling artifacts.
  • Filaments with ghost cells maintain gliding motility and long-distance electron transport.
  • Ghost cells are more frequent near filament ends and in oxic environments.

Conclusions:

  • Ghost cells do not significantly impair overall cable bacterium filament functionality.
  • Cable bacteria exhibit adaptive strategies to maintain organism-level function despite cellular inactivity.
  • Findings offer insights into microbial adaptation in complex environments.