ALBERT

Description: Rho.do.pi'la. Gr. neut. n. rhodon the rose; N.L. fem. n. pila a ball or sphere; N.L. fem. n. Rhodopila red sphere. Proteobacteria / Alphaproteobacteria / Rhodospirillales / Acetobacteraceae / Rhodopila Rhodopila globiformis is one of the very few anaerobic phototrophic purple bacteria that can grow below pH 6 with an optimum depending on the organic carbon substrate from 4.8 to 5.6. Growth occurs preferably photoheterotrophically under anoxic conditions in the light. Cells are sensitive to oxygen but grow by respiration under microoxic conditions in the dark. Growth factors are required. They are acidophilic freshwater bacteria that inhabit acidic warm sulfur springs. Cells are spherical to ovoid, motile by means of polar flagella, and divide by binary fission. They stain Gram-negative and have internal photosynthetic membranes of the vesicular type. Rhodopila is classified within the Acetobacteraceae family and Rhodospirillales order of the Alphaproteobacteria. The photosynthetic pigments are bacteriochlorophyll a and carotenoids. The major fatty acids are C18:1 (∼75%) and C16:0. Ubiquinones, menaquinones, and rhodoquinones with 9 and 10 isoprene units are produced. DNA G + C content (mol%): 67.1 (genome analysis). Type species: Rhodopila globiformis Imhoff et al. 1984VP (basonym: Rhodopseudomonas globiformis Pfennig 1974AL).