Wagner, Michael

ABSTRACTZoothamnium niveumis a giant, colonial marine ciliate from sulfide-rich habitats obligatorily covered with chemoautotrophic, sulfide-oxidizing bacteria which appear as coccoid rods and rods with a series of intermediate shapes. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization showed that the ectosymbiont ofZ. niveumbelongs to only one pleomorphic phylotype. TheZ. niveumectosymbiont is only moderately related to previously identified groups of thiotrophic symbionts within theGammaproteobacteria, and shows highest 16S rRNA sequence similarity with the free-living sulfur-oxidizing bacterial strain ODIII6 from shallow-water hydrothermal vents of the Mediterranean Sea (94.5%) and an endosymbiont from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent gastropod of the Indian Ocean Ridge (93.1%). A replacement of this specific ectosymbiont by a variety of other bacteria was observed only for senescent basal parts of the host colonies. The taxonomic status “CandidatusThiobios zoothamnicoli” is proposed for the ectosymbiont ofZ. niveumbased on its ultrastructure, its 16S rRNA gene, the intergenic spacer region, and its partial 23S rRNA gene sequence.

The obligately intracellular coccoid bacterium UWE25, a symbiont of Acanthamoeba spp., was previously identified as being related to chlamydiae based upon the presence of a chlamydia-like developmental cycle and its 16S rRNA gene sequence. Analysis of its complete genome sequence demonstrated that UWE25 shows many characteristic features of chlamydiae, including dependency on host-derived metabolites, composition of the cell envelope and the ability to thrive as an energy parasite within the cells of its eukaryotic host. Phylogenetic analysis of 44 ribosomal proteins further confirmed the affiliation of UWE25 to the ‘Chlamydiae’. Within this phylum, UWE25 could be assigned to the family Parachlamydiaceae based on comparative analyses of the 16S rRNA, 23S rRNA and endoribonuclease P RNA genes. The distinct dissimilarities from its closest relative, Parachlamydia acanthamoebae Bn9 T (7·1, 9·7 and 28·8 %, respectively), observed in this analysis justify its classification in a new genus. Therefore, the name ‘Candidatus Protochlamydia amoebophila’ is proposed for the designation of the Acanthamoeba sp. symbiont UWE25 (=ATCC PRA-7).

Three Gram‐negative, rod‐shaped bacteria that were found intracellularly in two environmental and one clinical Acanthamoeba sp. isolates were analysed. Two endocytobionts showing a parasitic behaviour were propagated successfully outside their amoebal host cells and were identified subsequently by comparative 16S rRNA sequence analysis as being most closely affiliated with Flavobacterium succinicans (99% 16S rRNA sequence similarity) or Flavobacterium johnsoniae (98% 16S rRNA sequence similarity). One endocytobiont could neither be cultivated outside its original Acanthamoeba host ( Acanthamoeba sp. TUMSJ‐321) nor transferred into other amoebae. Electron microscopy revealed that the amoebal trophozoites and cysts were almost completely filled with cells of this endosymbiont which are surrounded by a host‐derived membrane. According to 16S rRNA sequence analysis, this endosymbiont could also be assigned to the Cytophaga – Flavobacterium – Bacteroides (CFB) phylum, but was not closely affiliated to any recognized species within this phylogenetic group (less than 82% 16S rRNA sequence similarity). Identity and intracellular localization of this endosymbiont were confirmed by application of a specific fluorescently labelled 16S rRNA‐targeted probe. Based on these findings, we propose classification of this obligate Acanthamoeba endosymbiont as ‘ Candidatus Amoebophilus asiaticus’. Comparative 18S rRNA sequence analysis of the host of ‘ Candidatus Amoebophilus asiaticus’ revealed its membership with Acanthamoeba 18S rDNA sequence type T4 that comprises the majority of all Acanthamoeba isolates.

Acanthamoebae are increasingly being recognized as hosts for obligate bacterial endosymbionts, most of which are presently uncharacterized. In this study, the phylogeny of three Gram‐negative, rod‐shaped endosymbionts and their Acanthamoeba host cells was analysed by the rRNA approach. Comparative analyses of 16S rDNA sequences retrieved from amoebic cell lysates revealed that the endosymbionts of Acanthamoeba polyphaga HN‐3, Acanthamoeba sp. UWC9 and Acanthamoeba sp. UWE39 are related to the Paramecium caudatum endosymbionts Caedibacter caryophilus, Holospora elegans a n d Holospora obtusa . With overall 16S rRNA sequence similarities to their closest relative, C. caryophilus , of between 87% and 93%, these endosymbionts represent three distinct new species. In situ hybridization with fluorescently labelled endosymbiont‐specific 16S rRNA‐targeted probes demonstrated that the retrieved 16S rDNA sequences originated from the endosymbionts and confirmed their intracellular localization. We propose to classify provisionally the endosymbiont of Acanthamoeba polyphaga HN‐3 as ‘ Candidatus Caedibacter acanthamoebae’, the endosymbiont of Acanthamoeba sp. strain UWC9 as ‘ Candidatus Paracaedibacter acanthamoebae’ and the endosymbiont of Acanthamoeba sp. strain UWE39 as ‘ Candidatus Paracaedibacter symbiosus’. The phylogeny of the Acanthamoeba host cells was analysed by comparative sequence analyses of their 18S rRNA. Although Acanthamoeba polyphaga HN‐3 clearly groups together with most of the known Acanthamoeba isolates (18S rRNA sequence type 4), Acanthamoeba sp. UWC9 and UWE39 exhibit < 92% 18S rRNA sequence similarity to each other and to other Acanthamoeba isolates. Therefore, we propose two new sequence types (T13 and T14) within the genus Acanthamoeba containing, respectively, Acanthamoeba sp. UWC9 and Acanthamoeba sp. UWE39.

A morphologically conspicuous bacterium that constituted a very small fraction (< 0.01%) of the total microbial community of activated sludge was enriched and analysed phylogenetically by a combination of cultivation‐independent molecular and physical methods. The large, corkscrew‐shaped, filamentous bacteria were first detected in municipal activated sludge by light microscopy owing to their unusual rotating gliding motility. Various attempts at microbiological enrichment and pure culture isolation with traditional techniques failed, as did attempts to retrieve the morphotype of interest by micromanipulation. In situ hybridization with the group‐specific, rRNA‐targeted oligonucleotide probe CF319a indicated a phylogenetic affiliation to the Cytophaga–Flexibacter group of the Cytophaga – Flavobacterium–Bacteroides phylum. Based on strong morphological resemblance to members of the genus Saprospira , additional 16S rRNA‐targeted oligonucleotides with more narrow specificity were designed and evaluated for in situ hybridization to the morphotype of interest. Flow cytometric cell sorting based on the fluorescence conferred by probe SGR1425 and forward scatter enabled a physical enrichment of the helical coiled cells. Subsequent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of 16S rDNA fragments from whole fixed sorted cells with a primer pair based on probes CF319a and SGR1425 resulted in the retrieval of 12 almost identical partial 16S rDNA fragments with sequence similarities among each other of more than 99.2%. In situ hybridizations proved that the sequences that showed the highest similarity (88.4%) to the 16S rRNA of Saprospira grandis were indeed retrieved from the corkscrew‐shaped filaments. The bacterium is likely to be a member of a genus of which no species has been cultured hitherto. It was consequently tentatively named ‘Magnospira bakii’ and has the taxonomic rank of Candidatus Magnospira bakii, as the ultimate taxonomic placement has to await its cultivation. In this study, it was demonstrated that even bacteria occurring at very low frequencies in highly complex environmental samples can be retrieved selectively without cultivation for further molecular analysis.