Halomonadaceae

Halomonadaceae is a family of halophilic Pseudomonadota.

History

The family was originally described in 1988 to contain the genera Halomonas and Deleya.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

In 1989, Chromobacterium marismortui was reclassified as Chromohalobacter marismortui forming a third genus in the family Halomonadaceae.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Subsequently, in 1990 a species was discovered and was originally proposed to be called Volcaniella eurihalina forming a new genus in the Halomonadaceae,<ref>QUESADA (E.), VALDERRAMA (M.J.), BEJAR (V.), VENTOSA (A.), GUTIERREZ (M.C.), RUIZ-BERRAQUERO (F.) and RAMOS-CORMENZANA (A.): Volcaniella eurihalina gen. nov., sp. nov., a moderately halophilic nonmotile gram-negative rod. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1990, 40, 261-267</ref> but was later (in 1995) reclassified as a member of the genus Halomonas.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

The species Carnimonas nigrificans (sole member of genus) was not placed in the family due to the lack of two out of 15 descriptive 16S rRNA signature sequences,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> but it has been proposed to reclassify it into the family.<ref>D. R. Arahal, W. Ludwig, K. H. Schleifer and A. Ventosa Phylogeny of the family Halomonadaceae based on 23S and 16S rDNA sequence analyses. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, Vol 52, 241-249</ref>

In 1996, the family was later reorganised by unifying genera Deleya, Halomonas and Halovibrio and the species Paracoccus halodenitrificans into Halomonas and placing Zymobacter in this family.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> However, it was later discovered that the strain of Halovibrio variabilis DSM 3051 and DSM 3050 differed and the latter was made type strain of the Halovibrio, which remains still in use.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=tindall>Template:Cite journal</ref> and now comprising two species (the other being Halovibrio denitrificans)<ref name=tindall/>

In 2002, Halomonas marina was transferred to its own genus Cobetia,<ref>ARAHAL (D.R.), CASTILLO (A.M.), LUDWIG (W.), SCHLEIFER (K.H.) and VENTOSA (A.): Proposal of Cobetia marina gen. nov., comb. nov., within the family Halomonadaceae, to include the species Halomonas marina. Syst. Appl. Microbiol., 2002, 25, 207-211.</ref> and in 2009 Halomonas marisflavi, Halomonas indalinina. and Halomonas avicenniae were transferred to a new genus called Kushneria (5 species)

Several singleton genera were created recently: in 2007, Halotalea alkalilenta was described,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Aidingimonas halophila in 2009,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Halospina denitrificans in 2006,<ref name=tindall/> Modicisalibacter tunisiensis in 2009<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Salinicola socius in 2009.<ref>Template:Cite journal (translation of Mikrobiologiya, 2007, 76, 369-376)</ref> To the latter genus two species were transferred Halomonas salaria as Salinicola salarius and Chromohalobacter salarius as Salinicola halophilus.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

The family also contain the recently discovered but uncultured bacterium "Candidatus Portiera aleyrodidarum" (primary endosymbionts of whiteflies<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>).

Genera

• Halomonas, the type genus
  • Halomonas elongata, the type species of the genus,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> however the longest known members of the family are Halomonas halodentrificans (1952),<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Chromohalobacter marismortui (1940)<ref>Elazari-Volcani 1940</ref> and Chromohalobacter beijerinckii (originally Pseudomonas beijerinckii).<ref>Hof 1935</ref>
  • Halomonas titanicae
• Aidingimonas halophila <ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Cobetia
  • Cobetia marina, originally Pseudomonas marina,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> then Dalya marina, then Halomonas marina.
  • Cobetia crustatorum, isolated from fermented Korean seafood<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Carnimonas
• Chromohalobacter
  • Chromohalobacter marismortui
  • Chromohalobacter beijerinckii
  • Chromohalobacter canadensis and Chromohalobacter israelensis, formerly of the genus Halomonas
  • Chromohalobacter japonicus
  • Chromohalobacter nigrandesensis
  • Chromohalobacter salarius
  • Chromohalobacter salexigens
  • Chromohalobacter sarecensis, phychrotolerant
• Halotalea alkalilenta<ref>NTOUGIAS (S.), ZERVAKIS (G.I.) and FASSEAS (C.): Halotalea alkalilenta gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel osmotolerant and alkalitolerant bacterium from alkaline olive mill wastes, and emended description of the family Halomonadaceae Franzmann et al. 1989</ref>
• Kushneria
  • Kushneria aurantia, type species
  • Kushneria marisflavi, Kushneria indalinina and Kushneria avicenniae were previously classified under Halomonas<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Modicisalibacter
• Portiera
• Zymobacter, not to be confused with Zymomonas mobilis, an alphaproteobacterion studies for its biofuel production, an easy error that even the International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria made in <ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> as noted in <ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Note: Species of Deleya and Halovibrio are now Halomonas

Etymology

The names derives from Halomonas, which is the type genus of the family, plus the suffix -aceae, ending to denote a family<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Research

Geomicrobiologist Felisa Wolfe-Simon with a NASA funded team is researching a particular strain the family Halomonadaceae, named GFAJ-1, isolated and cultured from sediments collected along the shore of Mono Lake, near Yosemite National Park in eastern California.<ref name=Space>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nasa">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This GFAJ-1 strain of Halomonadaceae can grow in the presence of high concentrations of arsenic.<ref name="nature">Template:Cite journal</ref>

See also

• Geomicrobiology

External links

• NASA - Astrobiology Magazine: "Searching for Alien Life, on Earth" — (October 2009)
• NASA.gov: "NASA-Funded Research Discovers Life Built With Toxic Chemical" Template:Webarchive — (December 2010)
• Science Express abstract of F. Wolfe-Simon, et al.: "A Bacterium That Can Grow by Using Arsenic Instead of Phosphorus." - (December 2010)