The Vibrionaceae are a genetically and metabolically diverse family living in
May 1, 2017
The Vibrionaceae are a genetically and metabolically diverse family living in aquatic habitats with a great propensity toward developing interactions with eukaryotic microbial and multicellular hosts (as either commensals pathogens and mutualists). sediment riverbeds lakebeds or floating particulate debris. These two stages in their life history exert quite distinct and separate selection pressures. When bound to solid substrates or to host cells the Vibrionaceae can also exist as complex biofilms. The association between bioluminescent spp. and sepiolid squids (Cephalopoda: Sepiolidae) is an experimentally tractable model to study bacteria and animal host interactions since the symbionts and squid hosts can be maintained in the laboratory independently of one another. The bacteria can be grown in pure culture and the squid hosts raised gnotobiotically with sterile light organs. The partnership between free-living symbionts and axenic squid hatchlings emerging from eggs must be renewed every generation of the cephalopod host. Thus symbiotic bacteria and animal host can each be studied alone and together in union. Despite virtues provided by the Vibrionaceae and sepiolid squid-symbiosis these assets to evolutionary biology have yet to be fully utilized for microbial experimental evolution. Experimental evolution studies already completed are reviewed along with exploratory topics for future study. to the abalone has been described as non-motile (Sawabe et al. 1998 Vibrionaceae are facultative anaerobes having both respiratory (aerobic and anaerobic) and fermentative metabolisms. Nitrogen fixation and phototrophy have both been reported (Criminger et al. 2007 Wang et al. 2012 Agarases and alginases have been noted from (Fu and Kim 2010 Dalia et al. 2014 Most cells are oxidase positive with a dimension 1 μm in width and 2-3 μm in length. Sodium cations are a requirement for growth and survival but and are unusually tolerant to NPS-2143 low sodium waters. Most species are susceptible to the vibriostatic agent 0/129 (Thompson and Swings 2006 Vibrionaceae are ubiquitously distributed throughout aquatic habitats including freshwater brackish and marine waters (Madigan and Martinko 2006 Vibrionaceae have been isolated from rivers estuaries lakes coastal and pelagic oceanic waters the deep sea and saltern ponds (Urakawa and Rivera 2006 Vibrionaceae can also be microbial residents of aquatic animals as either commensals pathogens and mutualists (Soto et al. 2010 BSP-II Bacteria may exist as planktonic free-living cells or as biofilms attached to solid subtrates present in sediments of aquatic habitats or alternatively adhered to floating particulate matter or debris. Vibrionaceae may also form biofilms on the surfaces of animal algal/phytoplanktonic protoctistal or fungal hosts the cells colonize as this prokaryotic family is quite able to initiate and establish vigorous biofilms on eukaryotic cells and chitin surfaces (e.g. invertebrate exoskeletons and fungal cell walls; Polz et al. 2006 Pruzzo et al. 2008 Soto et al. 2014 Vibrionaceae have also been found to be intracellular inhabitants of eukaryotic microorganisms (Abd et al. 2007 Although as many as eight genera have been assigned NPS-2143 to the Vibrionaceae the two most specious are and (Thompson and Swings 2006 possesses an unusual ability to grow in a wide range of salinity (0-20% NaCl) and temperature (5-50°C; Ventosa 2005 Bartlett 2006 Numerous species in the NPS-2143 Vibrionaceae are pathogenic and cause disease in aquatic animals and humans (Farmer III et al. 2005 being the most notorious example as the causative agent of cholera (Colwell 2006 and can also cause severe illnesses in humans as a result of consuming contaminated seafood (Hulsmann et al. 2003 Wong and Wang 2004 Furthermore every year (Owens and Busico-Salcedo 2006 (Miyamoto and Eguchi 1997 Crosa et al. 2006 and (Austin 2006 cause substantial economic losses to the aquaculture industry worldwide. The genera and include opportunistic pathogens capable of infecting marine animals and humans and are able to enter preexisting wounds or body openings NPS-2143 of especially susceptible hosts that are already ill stressed fatigued or immunocompromised (Urbanczyk et al. 2011 Given the heightened ability of Vibrionaceae to cement themselves to eukaryotic cells through peptide and polysaccharide modification of their exopolysaccharide lipopolysaccharide and capsules (Sozhamannan and Yildiz 2011 the lack of additional human pathogens is curious. Perhaps the reason is foreign.