''Sporosarcina'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of
bacteria
Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among ...
.
Specification
The cells of the
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of ''Sporosarcina'' are either rod-shaped or
coccoid.
''Sporosarcina'' forms
endospore
An endospore is a dormant, tough, and non-reproductive structure produced by some bacteria in the phylum Bacillota. The name "endospore" is suggestive of a spore or seed-like form (''endo'' means 'within'), but it is not a true spore (i.e., no ...
s. The majority species of ''Sporosarcina'' is moveable (motile).
Metabolism
All species of ''Sporosarcina'' are
heterotroph
A heterotroph (; ) is an organism that cannot produce its own food, instead taking nutrition from other sources of organic carbon, mainly plant or animal matter. In the food chain, heterotrophs are primary, secondary and tertiary consumers, but ...
ic. They do not perform photosynthesis.
A few species are obligate
aerobic
Aerobic means "requiring air," in which "air" usually means oxygen.
Aerobic may also refer to
* Aerobic exercise, prolonged exercise of moderate intensity
* Aerobics, a form of aerobic exercise
* Aerobic respiration, the aerobic process of cellu ...
, they need oxygen. Others are
facultative aerobic, they can also perform metabolism in the absence of oxygen.
Ecology
Some species, such as ''S. ureae'' have the enzyme
urease
Ureases (), functionally, belong to the superfamily of amidohydrolases and phosphotriesterases. Ureases are found in numerous bacteria, fungi, algae, plants, and some invertebrates, as well as in soils, as a soil enzyme. They are nickel-containin ...
and are thus able to break down
urea
Urea, also known as carbamide, is an organic compound with chemical formula . This amide has two amino groups (–) joined by a carbonyl functional group (–C(=O)–). It is thus the simplest amide of carbamic acid.
Urea serves an important r ...
.
The species forms the highest population densities in soils that are subject to influence of urine. These include, for example, meadows where cattle are kept. Thus ''S. ureae'' plays an important role in the
ecosystem
An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...
.
Molecular Signatures
Analyses of genome sequences of ''Sporosarcina'' species identified eight
conserved signature indels Conserved signature inserts and deletions (CSIs) in protein sequences provide an important category of molecular markers for understanding phylogenetic relationships. CSIs, brought about by rare genetic changes, provide useful phylogenetic markers ...
(CSIs) that are uniquely present in this genus in the proteins
aspartate–tRNA ligase, A/G-specific adenine glycosylase,
thymidylate synthase
Thymidylate synthase (TS) () is an enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of deoxyuridine monophosphate (dUMP) to deoxythymidine monophosphate (dTMP). Thymidine is one of the nucleotides in DNA. With inhibition of TS, an imbalance of deoxynucleo ...
, RDD family protein,
DEAD/DEAH box helicase, membrane protein insertase YidC,
cytochrome b6, and a hypothetical protein.
These molecular signatures provide a novel and reliable method to molecularly distinguishing ''Sporosarcina'' species from other genera in the family ''Caryophanaceae'' and other bacteria.
Systematics
''Sporosarcina'' belongs to the
Bacillota
The Bacillota (synonym Firmicutes) are a phylum of bacteria, most of which have gram-positive cell wall structure. The renaming of phyla such as Firmicutes in 2021 remains controversial among microbiologists, many of whom continue to use the earl ...
.
J.P. Euzéby: List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN)
/ref> Some examples of species:
*'' Sporosarcina luteola'' Tominaga et al. 2009
* '' Sporosarcina aquimarina'' Yoon et al. 2001
* '' Sporosarcina contaminans'' Kämpfer et al. 2010
* ''Sporosarcina globispora
''Sporosarcina globispora'', formerly known as ''Bacillus globisporus'', is a Gram-positive, aerobic, round spore-forming bacillus. Strains of this species were originally described in 1967 and were found to be fairly similar to the species ''B ...
'' (Larkin and Stokes 1967) Yoon et al. 2001
* '' Sporosarcina newyorkensis'' Wolfgang et al. 2012
* ''Sporosarcina pasteurii
''Sporosarcina pasteurii'' formerly known as ''Bacillus pasteurii'' from older taxonomies, is a gram positive bacterium with the ability to precipitate calcite and solidify sand given a calcium source and urea; through the process of microbiolo ...
'' (Miquel 1889) Yoon et al. 2001
* '' Sporosarcina psychrophila'' (Nakamura 1984) Yoon et al. 2001
* '' Sporosarcina saromensis'' An et al. 2007
* '' Sporosarcina siberiensis'' Zhang et al. 2014
* '' Sporosarcina soli'' Kwon et al. 2007
* '' Sporosarcina terrae'' Sun et al. 2017
* '' Sporosarcina thermotolerans'' Kämpfer et al. 2010
* '' Sporosarcina ureae'' (Beijerinck 1901) Kluyver and van Niel 1936
References