''Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus'' is a bacterium with a rod-like shape, has circular ends, and can be classified as a

Gram-negative Gram-negative bacteria are bacteria that do not retain the crystal violet stain used in the Gram staining method of bacterial differentiation. They are characterized by their cell envelopes, which are composed of a thin peptidoglycan cell wa ...

bacterium. The bacterium is known for stimulating plant growth and being tolerant to acetic acid. With one to three lateral flagella, and known to be found on sugarcane, ''Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus'' was discovered in Brazil by Vladimir A. Cavalcante and Johanna Dobereiner.

Characteristics

Originally found in Alagoas, Brazil, ''Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus'' is a bacterium that has several interesting features and aspects which are important to note. The bacterium was first discovered by Vladimir A. Cavalcante and Johanna Dobereiner while analyzing sugarcane in Brazil. ''Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus'' is a part of the ''Acetobacteraceae'' family and started out with the name, ''Saccharibacter nitrocaptans'', however, the bacterium is renamed as ''Acetobacter diazotrophicus'' because the bacterium is found to belong with bacteria that are able to tolerate acetic acid. Again, the bacterium’s name was changed to ''Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus'' when its taxonomic position was resolved using 16s ribosomal RNA analysis. In addition to being a part of the

Acetobacter ''Acetobacter'' is a genus of acetic acid bacteria. Acetic acid bacteria are characterized by the ability to convert ethanol to acetic acid in the presence of oxygen. Of these, the genus ''Acetobacter'' is distinguished by the ability to oxidize ...

family, ''Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus'' belongs to the Pseudomonadota phylum, the

Alphaproteobacteria Alphaproteobacteria is a class of bacteria in the phylum Pseudomonadota (formerly Proteobacteria). The Magnetococcales and Mariprofundales are considered basal or sister to the Alphaproteobacteria. The Alphaproteobacteria are highly diverse and ...

class, and the Gluconacetobacter genus while being a part of the Rhodosprillales order. Other nitrogen-fixing species in this same genus include Gluconacetobacter azotocaptans and Gluconacetobacter johannae ''Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus'' cells are shaped like rods, have ends that are circular or round, and have anywhere from one to three flagella that are lateral. Based on these descriptions of the cell, ''Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus'' can be classified with the bacillus genus. The cells be viewed as darkish brown or orange colonies under a microscope. In addition, the cells are aerobic which describes their need of oxygen. Because the bacterium is found on sugar cane when first discovered, as explained prior, and reacts strongly to high amounts of sugar, Gram Negative is the correct classification for ''Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus''. In addition to sugarcane, ''G. diazotrophicus'' has been found in different plants like coffee tree and pineapple. ''Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus'' is also known for nitrogen fixation. This feature allows the bacteria to work on nitrogen in the air in order for the correct amount of nitrogen can be received by plants. ''Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus'' is a notable microbe because studies have shown that the bacteria can help tomatoes and other crops grow. Besides to be a nitrogen-fixing bacterium, ''G. diazotrophicus'' synthesizes Indole-3-acid acetic, that could contribute to promote the growth of the associated plant. This microbe fights off ''Xanthomonas albilineans'' which is a pathogen found in sugar cane. In regard to the ecology of this microorganisms, the numbers of ''G. diazotrophicus'' that colonize sugarcane decrease when the plant is grown under high nitrogen fertilization doses. Overall, ''Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus'', through the research restated, plays a significant role in the environment for plants specifically sugar cane, helps to grow crops, and can be found in areas that are acidic and contain oxygen.

Genome

The genome that was found to be closely sequenced with ''Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus'' was the Pal5 genome. This genome has one circular chromosome and two plasmids. The two plasmids found in the genome are pGD01 and pGD02 which contain 38,818 and 16,610 base pairs respectively. The G-C content for ''Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus'' could be calculated at 66.19%. The Pal5 genome was found to have 583 proteins that can be used to depict the possible “metabolic pathways” in ''Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus''. The bacterium has been studied to move from different crops and also helpful in growing corn. Because they create phytohormones, ''Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus'' has proven to stimulate other plant’s growth.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q12064294 Rhodospirillales Gram-negative bacteria