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Related Experiment Videos

The largest bacterium

E R Angert1, K D Clements, N R Pace

  • 1Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington 47405.

Nature
|March 18, 1993
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Epulopiscium fishelsoni, a large microorganism found in surgeonfish, has been identified as the largest bacterium known. This finding resolves its classification as a specific symbiont of surgeonfish.

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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Marine Biology
  • Symbiosis research

Background:

  • The microorganism Epulopiscium fishelsoni inhabits the intestinal tract of surgeonfish (Acanthuridae) from the Red Sea and Great Barrier Reef.
  • Initial observations suggested E. fishelsoni might be a eukaryotic protist due to its large size (over 600 microns).
  • Electron microscopy revealed cellular morphology more akin to bacteria than eukaryotes, prompting further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To definitively determine the phylogenetic nature of Epulopiscium fishelsoni.
  • To resolve the classification of these unique surgeonfish symbionts.
  • To investigate the potential for E. fishelsoni to be the largest known bacterium.

Main Methods:

  • Isolation of genes encoding the small subunit ribosomal RNA (rRNA) from two morphotypes of E. fishelsoni.

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  • Phylogenetic analysis using the isolated rRNA gene sequences.
  • In situ hybridization with oligonucleotide probes to confirm the origin of the rRNA genes.

    • Main Results:

    • Phylogenetic analysis identified E. fishelsoni as a member of the low-(G+C) Gram-positive group of bacteria.
    • In situ hybridization confirmed the bacterial origin of the sequenced rRNA genes.
    • E. fishelsoni is now recognized as the largest bacterium described to date.

    Conclusions:

    • Epulopiscium fishelsoni are not protists but bacteria, specifically low-(G+C) Gram-positive bacteria.
    • These bacteria represent a significant discovery in microbial size limits.
    • The study clarifies the symbiotic relationship between E. fishelsoni and surgeonfish, identifying them as specific bacterial symbionts.