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Taxonomy and Physiology of Filamentous Anoxygenic Phototrophs

  • Chapter
Anoxygenic Photosynthetic Bacteria

Part of the book series: Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration ((AIPH,volume 2))

Summary

The filamentous anoxygenic phototrophs are a diverse group of photosynthetic bacteria that are of particular evolutionary significance. The best known species is the thermophilic Chloroflexus aurantiacus. This organism is a prominent member of hot spring microbial mat communities. Because it forms a deep division in the eubacterial line of descent and because it has an interesting combination of characteristics found in very different and diverse groups of phototrophic prokaryotes, it is of particular significance in addressing questions of evolutionary importance.

There are several other strains of filamentous photosynthetic bacteria from a wide range of environments that are substantially different from Cf. aurantiacus yet have enough similarity in fundamental photosynthetic features to be likely relatives. Sequence data (16S rRNA) are needed to define the phylogenetic range of the family Chloroflexaceae. Some of the interesting biology of the diverse filamentous phototrophs is discussed in this chapter along with the taxonomic and phylogenetic problems they present.

The physiology of Cf. aurantiacus is intriguing in several respects. The recently described autotrophic CO2 fixation pathway involving 3-hydroxypropionate is unlike any other known autotrophic mechanism. C. aurantiacus is also unique among all groups of phototrophs in lacking the capacity for nitrogen fixation. The regulation ofpigment synthesis in response to changing growth conditions is particularly interesting due to the presence of two different photosynthetic pigments located in different sub-cellular environments. The fact that Cf. aurantiacus is a thermophile provides another dimension of complexity to its physiology. It is also quite resistant to UV radiation. Some of its characteristics may be relicts from Precambrian ancestors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biology Department, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA, 98416-0320, USA

    Beverly K. Pierson

  2. Biology Department, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403-1210, USA

    Richard W. Castenholz

Authors
  1. Beverly K. Pierson
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  2. Richard W. Castenholz
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA

    Robert E. Blankenship

  2. Department of Microbiology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, USA

    Michael T. Madigan

  3. Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA

    Carl E. Bauer

Additional information

We dedicate this chapter to William R. Sistron (deceased September, 1993) whose ideas and discussions contributed in many important ways to the discovery and characterization of the BChl-containing filamentous bacteria.

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© 1995 Kluwer Academic Publishers

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Pierson, B.K., Castenholz, R.W. (1995). Taxonomy and Physiology of Filamentous Anoxygenic Phototrophs. In: Blankenship, R.E., Madigan, M.T., Bauer, C.E. (eds) Anoxygenic Photosynthetic Bacteria. Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-47954-0_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-47954-0_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-7923-3681-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-306-47954-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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