Title |
Beyond the bacterium: planctomycetes challenge our concepts of microbial structure and function
|
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Published in |
Nature Reviews Microbiology, May 2011
|
DOI | 10.1038/nrmicro2578 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
John A. Fuerst, Evgeny Sagulenko |
Abstract |
Planctomycetes form a distinct phylum of the domain Bacteria and possess unusual features such as intracellular compartmentalization and a lack of peptidoglycan in their cell walls. Remarkably, cells of the genus Gemmata even contain a membrane-bound nucleoid analogous to the eukaryotic nucleus. Moreover, the so-called 'anammox' planctomycetes have a unique anaerobic, autotrophic metabolism that includes the ability to oxidize ammonium; this process is dependent on a characteristic membrane-bound cell compartment called the anammoxosome, which might be a functional analogue of the eukaryotic mitochondrion. The compartmentalization of planctomycetes challenges our hypotheses regarding the origins of eukaryotic organelles. Furthermore, the recent discovery of both an endocytosis-like ability and proteins homologous to eukaryotic clathrin in a planctomycete marks this phylum as one to watch for future research on the origin and evolution of the eukaryotic cell. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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Unknown | 1 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
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Members of the public | 1 | 100% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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United States | 10 | 2% |
Germany | 3 | <1% |
France | 2 | <1% |
Brazil | 2 | <1% |
United Kingdom | 2 | <1% |
Ireland | 1 | <1% |
Australia | 1 | <1% |
Sweden | 1 | <1% |
New Zealand | 1 | <1% |
Other | 5 | <1% |
Unknown | 558 | 95% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 143 | 24% |
Researcher | 114 | 19% |
Student > Master | 79 | 13% |
Student > Bachelor | 67 | 11% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 24 | 4% |
Other | 84 | 14% |
Unknown | 75 | 13% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 277 | 47% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 63 | 11% |
Environmental Science | 63 | 11% |
Immunology and Microbiology | 22 | 4% |
Earth and Planetary Sciences | 19 | 3% |
Other | 48 | 8% |
Unknown | 94 | 16% |