Description of Gloeomargarita lithophora gen. nov., sp. nov., a thylakoid-bearing, basal-branching cyanobacterium with intracellular carbonates, and proposal for Gloeomargaritales ord. nov.

• DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.001679
• Publication Date: 2016-11-24T06:12:35Z
• Authors: David Moreira; Rosaluz Tavera; Karim Benzerara; Fériel Skouri-Panet; Estelle Couradeau; Emmanuelle Gérard; Céline Loussert F...; Eberto Novelo; Yvan Zivanovic; Purificación Lópe...
• Keywords: Strain (injury)

A unicellular cyanobacterium, strain Alchichica-D10, was isolated from microbialites of the alkaline Lake Alchichica, Mexico. The cells were short rods (3.9±0.6 µm in length and 1.1±0.1 width) forming biofilms intense emerald green colour. They exhibited red autofluorescence under UV light excitation. UV-visible absorption spectra revealed that they contain chlorophyll a phycocyanin, electron microscopy showed presence thylakoids. grew within temperature range 15-30 °C. Genomic DNA G+C content 52.2 mol%. most remarkable feature this species its granular cytoplasm, due to numerous intracellular spherical granules (16-26 per cell) with an average diameter 270 nm. These granules, easily visible scanning microscopy, composed amorphous carbonate containing Ca, Mg, Ba Sr. multi-gene phylogeny based on analysis 59 conserved protein markers supported robustly occupies deep position cyanobacterial tree. Based phenotypic characters phylogenetic position, Alchichica-D10 is considered represent new genus novel cyanobacteria for which name Gloeomargarita lithophora gen. nov., sp. nov. proposed. type (Culture Collection Algae Protozoa CCAP 1437/1; Collections de Cyanobactéries et Microalgues Vivantes Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle Paris PMC 919.15). Furthermore, family, Gloeomargaritaceae, order, Gloeoemargaritales, are proposed accommodate International Code Nomenclature algae, fungi plants.