Overview of Phototrophic Proteobacteria

PHOTOTROPHIC
PROTEOBACTERIA
Mi c r 2211
Dr S. Brown
MAKING SENSE OF MICROBIAL
DIVERSITY
• Phylogenetic diversity
• Evolutionary relationships between organisms
• Functional diversity
• Relationships in form and function between
organisms
MAKING SENSE OF MICROBIAL
DIVERSITY
• Physiological diversity
• Relationships in microbial metabolism and
cellular biochemistry
• Ecological diversity
• Relationships between organisms and their
environment
• Morphological diversity
• Relationships associated with outward
appearance of organisms
Figure 14.1
THE PROTEOBACTERIA
• Proteobacteria are
the largest and most
metabolically diverse
of all Bacteria
• They constitute the

majority of known
bacteria of medical,
industrial and
agricultural
significance
PROTEOBACTERIA
• Phylogenetically (based on 16S rRNA sequences),

the phylum Proteobacteria can be divided into 5
classes
• Alphaproteobacteria
• Betaproteobacteria
• Gammaproteobacteria
• Deltaproteobacteria
• Epsilonproteobacteria
Overview of Phototrophic Bacteria
• Photosynthesis is the conversion of light energy

to chemical energy
• Phototrophs carry out photosynthesis
• Most phototrophs are also autotrophs

Overview of Phototrophic Bacteria
• Photosynthesis requires light-sensitive pigments

called chlorophylls
• Photoautotrophy requires ATP production and

CO2 reduction
PHOTOTROPHIC PROTEOBACTERIA
Anoxygenic Phototrophic Proteobacteria
• Purple sulfur bacteria

Chromatium,
Thiospirillum,
Thiodictyon)
• Purple non-sulfur bacteria

Rhodobacter,
Rhodopseudomonas
Phototrophic Proteobacteria
Purple Bacteria
• Morphologically diverse group
• Established classification (Morphological,

phylogenetic and physiological)
• Different genera fall within Alpha, Beta- and

Gammaproteobacteria
• Gram-negative
Phototrophic Proteobacteria
Purple Bacteria
• Purple bacteria contain bacteriochlorophylls a or b and
carotenoid pigments
• These give purple bacteria their different colours (purple,

red, brown)
PURPLE BACTERIA
• The purple bacteria produce intra-cytoplasmic

photosynthetic membrane systems in which the
pigments are inserted
Membranes
have different
shapes
PURPLE BACTERIA
• The internal membranes allow purple bacteria

to increase the amount of pigment they contain
and to better utilize the available light
• When cells are grown at high light intensities few

pigments are seen
• At low light intensities the membranes are

packed with photopigments
PURPLE SULFUR BACTERIA
• Purple bacteria that utilize Hydrogen sulfide (H2S)

as an electron donor for CO2 reduction in
photosynthesis are called purple sulfur bacteria
• They are strict anaerobes and usually

photolithotrophs
• Type II photosystem
• Fix CO2 by Calvin cycle
• The sulfide is oxidized to chemical sulfur (S)
• This sulfur is stored as globules in the cell
• The sulfur is later oxidized to sulfate (SO4 2-)

Sulfur
crystals
Chromatium okeni
Oval , rod shaped
Sulfur deposited internally
Sulfur crystals
Thiiopredia rosea
Spheres, non-motile, forming flat sheets of tetrad
Sulfur crystals
Thiospirllum jenense
Flagellated spirals
Sulfur crystals
Ectothiorhodspira mobilis
Sulfur deposited externally
• Many purple sulfur bacteria can also use other

reduced sulfur compounds as photosynthetic
electron donors
• Thiosulfate is commonly used (S2O32-) is

commonly used to grow lab cultures
• All purple sulfur bacteria discovered so far are

Gammaproteobacteria
ECOLOGY
• Generally found in illuminated anoxic zones of

lakes and other aquatic environments where H2S
accumulates
• Found in sulfur springs where geochemically or

biologically produced H2S can trigger the
formation of blooms of purple sulfur bacteria
ECOLOGY
Algae
Grows near the

bottom of the
lake but floats
to the top
because of gas
Lamprocystis roseopersicina vesicles
ECOLOGY
• Found in meromictic (permanently stratified)

lakes
• Denser (saline ) water at bottom
• Less dense (freshwater) at top

ECOLOGY
• The sulfide produced in the sediments diffuses

upward into the anoxic bottom water
• It then forms dense cell masses, called blooms
• These are found in association with green

phototrophic bacteria
Thiocystis
ECOLOGY
• The genera Ectothiorhodospira and
Halorhodospira
• Oxidize H2S but produce S outside the cell
• They are extreme halophiles (salt loving)
• Or alkaliphilic (grow best at pH above 9)
• These are extremophiles

ECOLOGY
• Found in saline lakes, soda lakes,
• Also found in sewage lagoons

BIOTECH APPLICATIONS
• 200 strains of marine purple sulfur bacteria were

isolated
• 2 strains showed antibiotic activity to

Saccharomyces cerevisiae
• These were Chromatium pupuratum

• C. pupuratum strain NKPB 031704 produced
pigmented compounds that exhibited broad
spectrum antibiotic properties

• This was the first time a photosynthetic bacteria

was found to produce broad spectrum
antibiotics
• It was also the first example of intracellular

localization of antibiotic activity in marine
bacterium
PURPLE NON-SULFUR BACTERIA
• These purple bacteria were called purple non-
sulfur bacteria because it was originally thought
that they were unable to use sulfide as an
electron donor for the reduction of CO2 to cell
material
• However, Sulfide can be used by most species in

this group
• But not at the levels used by the purple sulfur

bacteria (1-3mM)
• Some purple nonsulfur bacteria can grow by

fermentatation or anaerobic respiratory
metabolism
• They can also grow in the dark by using using

aerobic respiration of organic or some
inorganic compounds: synthesis of the
photosynthetic machinery is repressed by
oxygen
• The electron donor in this case can be an

organic compound or inorganic compound
such as H2
• Purple nonsulfur bacteria are photoheterotrophs
• They use light as the energy source
• And an organic compound as the carbon source
• This adds to their competitiveness

• Carbon sources include
• Fatty acids
• Amino acids
• Sugars
• Alcohols
• Aromatic compounds (benzoate, toluene)
• Virtually all purple non-sulfur bacteria can fix N2
• Outcompeting other bacteria (agricultural applications)
• They are members of Alphaproteobacteria and

Betaproteobacteria
• They are morphologically diverse
• Use type II photosystem
• Contain either bacteriochlorophyll a or b

Phaeospirillum fulvum
Spiral shaped and polarly flagellated
Rhodoblastus acidophilus
Rod shaped
Rhodobacter spaeroides
Rhodocyclus purpureus
RHODOPSEUDOMONAS PALUSTRIS
(GENOME)
• Belongs to the genus Rhodopseudomonas
• The entire genome of R. palustris was sequenced by the

Caroline Harwood team
• Saw it as a model for studying anaerobic degradation of

aromatic compound
• 31% of its genome coded for energy metabolism,

biosynthesis, C and N metabolism and cellular processes
• Has genes that oxidize hydrogen, thiosulfate and

carbon monoxide and uses them as energy
sources
• Has 3 nitrogenases
• 5 benzene ring pathways
• 4 light harvesting 2 systems

(BIOTECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS)
• Used in the degradation of benzene in the
environment
• Used in the degradation of TCP (2,4,6-

Triclorophenol)
• TCP is used in fungicides, herbicides and

insecticides
• Carcinogenic
• It reduces chromium (VI) to chromium (III)
• Chromium (VI) has serious implications if

consumed or inhaled
• Can cause lung cancer or cancer of the oral

cavity or small intestine
• Nanotechnology applications
• Synthesizes cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanoparticles
• Uses the enzyme cysteine disulfhydrase for this

process
• Also secretes a protein that stabilizes the

nanoparticles produced

Overview of Phototrophic Proteobacteria

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Overview of Phototrophic Proteobacteria

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PHOTOTROPHIC

• They constitute the

• Phylogenetically (based on 16S rRNA sequences),

• Photosynthesis is the conversion of light energy

• Phototrophs carry out photosynthesis

• Most phototrophs are also autotrophs

• Photosynthesis requires light-sensitive pigments

• Photoautotrophy requires ATP production and

• Purple sulfur bacteria

• Purple non-sulfur bacteria

• Morphologically diverse group

• Established classification (Morphological,

• Different genera fall within Alpha, Beta- and

• These give purple bacteria their different colours (purple,

• The purple bacteria produce intra-cytoplasmic

• The internal membranes allow purple bacteria

• When cells are grown at high light intensities few

• At low light intensities the membranes are

• Purple bacteria that utilize Hydrogen sulfide (H2S)

• They are strict anaerobes and usually

• The sulfide is oxidized to chemical sulfur (S)

• This sulfur is stored as globules in the cell

• The sulfur is later oxidized to sulfate (SO4 2-)

• Many purple sulfur bacteria can also use other

• Thiosulfate is commonly used (S2O32-) is

• All purple sulfur bacteria discovered so far are

• Generally found in illuminated anoxic zones of

• Found in sulfur springs where geochemically or

Grows near the

• Found in meromictic (permanently stratified)

• Denser (saline ) water at bottom

• Less dense (freshwater) at top

• The sulfide produced in the sediments diffuses

• It then forms dense cell masses, called blooms

• These are found in association with green

• Oxidize H2S but produce S outside the cell

• They are extreme halophiles (salt loving)

• Or alkaliphilic (grow best at pH above 9)

• These are extremophiles

• Found in saline lakes, soda lakes,

• Also found in sewage lagoons

• 200 strains of marine purple sulfur bacteria were

• 2 strains showed antibiotic activity to

• These were Chromatium pupuratum

• C. pupuratum strain NKPB 031704 produced

pigmented compounds that exhibited broad

spectrum antibiotic properties

• This was the first time a photosynthetic bacteria

• It was also the first example of intracellular

• However, Sulfide can be used by most species in

• But not at the levels used by the purple sulfur

• Some purple nonsulfur bacteria can grow by

• They can also grow in the dark by using using

• The electron donor in this case can be an

• Purple nonsulfur bacteria are photoheterotrophs

• They use light as the energy source

• And an organic compound as the carbon source

• This adds to their competitiveness

• They are members of Alphaproteobacteria and

• They are morphologically diverse

• Use type II photosystem

• Contain either bacteriochlorophyll a or b