Unusual polyphosphate inclusions observed in a marine Beggiatoa strain

Abstract

Sulfide-oxidizing bacteria of the genus Beggiatoa are known to accumulate phosphate intracellularly as polyphosphate but little is known about the structure and properties of these inclusions. Application of different staining techniques revealed the presence of unusually large polyphosphate inclusions in the marine Beggiatoa strain 35Flor. The inclusions showed a co-occurrence of polyphosphate, calcium and magnesium when analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. Similar to polyphosphate-enriched acidocalcisomes of prokaryotes and eukaryotes, the polyphosphate inclusions in Beggiatoa strain 35Flor are enclosed by a lipid layer and store cations. However, they are not notably acidic. 16S rRNA gene sequence-based phylogenetic reconstruction showed an affiliation of Beggiatoa strain 35Flor to a monophyletic branch, comprising other narrow vacuolated and non-vacuolated Beggiatoa species. The polyphosphate inclusions represent a new type of membrane surrounded storage compartment within the genus Beggiatoa, distinct from the mostly nitrate-storing vacuoles known from other marine sulfide-oxidizing bacteria of the family Beggiatoaceae.