Monstrous microbes
Biologists often have distinguished between procaryotes and eucaryotes based in part on cell size. Generally, procaryotic cellsare supposed to be smaller than eucaryotic cells. Procaryotes grow extremely rapidly compared to most eucaryotes and lack the complex vesicular transport systems of eucaryotic cells (see chapter 4). It has been assumed that they must be small because of the slowness of nutrient diffusion and the need for a large surface-to-volume ratio. Thus when Fishelson, Montgomery, and Myrberg discovered a large, cigarshaped microorganism in the intestinal tract of the Red Sea brown surgeonfish, Acanthurus nigrofuscus, they suggested in their 1985 publication that it was a protist. It seemed too large to be anything else. In 1993 Esther Angert, Kendall Clemens, and Norman Pace used rRNA sequence comparisons (see p. 432) to identify the microorganism, now called Epulopiscium fishelsoni, as a procaryote related to the gram-positive genus Clostridium. E. fishelsoni [Latin, epulum, a feast or banquet, and piscium, fish] can reach a size of 80 m by 600 m, and normally ranges from 200 to 500 m in length (see Box figure). It is about a million times larger in volume than Escherichia coli. Despite its huge size the organism does have procaryotic cell structure. It is motile and swims at about two body lengths a second (approximately 2.4 cm/min) using the bacterial-type flagella that cover its surface. The cytoplasm contains large nucleoids and many ribosomes, as would be required for such a large cell. Epulopiscium appears to overcome the size limits set by diffusion by having an outer layer consisting of a highly convoluted plasma membrane. This increases the cell’s surface area and aids in nutrient transport. It appears that Epulopiscium is transmitted between hosts through fecal contamination of the fish’s food. The bacterium can be eliminated by starving the surgeonfish for a few days. If juvenile fish that lack the bacterium are placed with infected hosts, they are reinoculated. Interestingly this does not work with uninfected adult surgeonfish. In 1997, Heidi Schulz discovered an even larger procaryote in the ocean sediment off the coast of Namibia. Thiomargarita namibiensis is a spherical bacterium, between 100 and 750 m in diameter, that often forms chains of cells. It is over 100 times larger in volume than E. fishelsoni. A vacuole occupies about 98 percent of the cell and contains fluid rich in nitrate; it is surrounded by a 0.5 to 2.0 m layer of cytoplasm filled with sulfur granules. The cytoplasmic layer is the same thickness as most bacteria and sufficiently thin for adequate diffusion rates. Nitrate is used as an electron acceptor for sulfur oxidation and energy production. The discovery of these procaryotes greatly weakens the distinction between procaryotes and eucaryotes based on cell size. They are certainly larger than a normal eucaryotic cell. In addition, some eucaryoticcells have been discovered that are smaller than previously thought possible. The best example is Nanochlorum eukaryotum. Nanochlorum is only about 1 to 2 mu.m in diameter, yet is truly eucaryotic and has a nucleus, a chloroplast, and a mitochondrion. Our understanding of the factors limiting procaryotic cell size must be reevaluated. It is no longer safe to assume that large cells are eucaryotic and small cells are procaryotic.
จุลินทรีย์มหึมาBiologists often have distinguished between procaryotes and eucaryotes based in part on cell size. Generally, procaryotic cellsare supposed to be smaller than eucaryotic cells. Procaryotes grow extremely rapidly compared to most eucaryotes and lack the complex vesicular transport systems of eucaryotic cells (see chapter 4). It has been assumed that they must be small because of the slowness of nutrient diffusion and the need for a large surface-to-volume ratio. Thus when Fishelson, Montgomery, and Myrberg discovered a large, cigarshaped microorganism in the intestinal tract of the Red Sea brown surgeonfish, Acanthurus nigrofuscus, they suggested in their 1985 publication that it was a protist. It seemed too large to be anything else. In 1993 Esther Angert, Kendall Clemens, and Norman Pace used rRNA sequence comparisons (see p. 432) to identify the microorganism, now called Epulopiscium fishelsoni, as a procaryote related to the gram-positive genus Clostridium. E. fishelsoni [Latin, epulum, a feast or banquet, and piscium, fish] can reach a size of 80 m by 600 m, and normally ranges from 200 to 500 m in length (see Box figure). It is about a million times larger in volume than Escherichia coli. Despite its huge size the organism does have procaryotic cell structure. It is motile and swims at about two body lengths a second (approximately 2.4 cm/min) using the bacterial-type flagella that cover its surface. The cytoplasm contains large nucleoids and many ribosomes, as would be required for such a large cell. Epulopiscium appears to overcome the size limits set by diffusion by having an outer layer consisting of a highly convoluted plasma membrane. This increases the cell’s surface area and aids in nutrient transport. It appears that Epulopiscium is transmitted between hosts through fecal contamination of the fish’s food. The bacterium can be eliminated by starving the surgeonfish for a few days. If juvenile fish that lack the bacterium are placed with infected hosts, they are reinoculated. Interestingly this does not work with uninfected adult surgeonfish. In 1997, Heidi Schulz discovered an even larger procaryote in the ocean sediment off the coast of Namibia. Thiomargarita namibiensis is a spherical bacterium, between 100 and 750 m in diameter, that often forms chains of cells. It is over 100 times larger in volume than E. fishelsoni. A vacuole occupies about 98 percent of the cell and contains fluid rich in nitrate; it is surrounded by a 0.5 to 2.0 m layer of cytoplasm filled with sulfur granules. The cytoplasmic layer is the same thickness as most bacteria and sufficiently thin for adequate diffusion rates. Nitrate is used as an electron acceptor for sulfur oxidation and energy production. The discovery of these procaryotes greatly weakens the distinction between procaryotes and eucaryotes based on cell size. They are certainly larger than a normal eucaryotic cell. In addition, some eucaryoticcells have been discovered that are smaller than previously thought possible. The best example is Nanochlorum eukaryotum. Nanochlorum is only about 1 to 2 mu.m in diameter, yet is truly eucaryotic and has a nucleus, a chloroplast, and a mitochondrion. Our understanding of the factors limiting procaryotic cell size must be reevaluated. It is no longer safe to assume that large cells are eucaryotic and small cells are procaryotic.
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