sp. nov., sp. nov. and sp. nov., marine, cellulolytic endosymbiotic bacteria isolated from the gills of the wood-boring mollusc (Bivalvia: Teredinidae) and emended description of the genus .

Here, we describe three endosymbiotic bacterial strains isolated from the gills of the shipworm, (Teredinidae: Bivalvia). These strains, designated as Bs08, Bs12 and Bsc2, are Gram-stain-negative, microaerobic, gammaproteobacteria that grow on cellulose and a variety of substrates derived from lignocellulose. Phenotypic characterization, phylogeny based on 16S rRNA gene and whole genome sequence data, amino acid identity and percentage of conserved proteins analyses, show that these strains are novel and may be assigned to the genus .

sp. nov., a marine, cellulolytic endosymbiotic bacterium isolated from the gills of the wood-boring mollusc (Bivalvia: Teredinidae) and emended description of the genus .

A cellulolytic, aerobic, gammaproteobacterium, designated strain Bs02, was isolated from the gills of a marine wood-boring mollusc, (Bivalvia: Teredinidae). The cells are Gram-stain-negative, slightly curved motile rods (2-5×0.4-0.

Gill bacteria enable a novel digestive strategy in a wood-feeding mollusk.

Bacteria play many important roles in animal digestive systems, including the provision of enzymes critical to digestion. Typically, complex communities of bacteria reside in the gut lumen in direct contact with the ingested materials they help to digest. Here, we demonstrate a previously undescribed digestive strategy in the wood-eating marine bivalve Bankia setacea, wherein digestive bacteria are housed in a location remote from the gut.

Genetic differentiation among isolates of Teredinibacter turnerae, a widely occurring intracellular endosymbiont of shipworms.

Teredinibacter turnerae is a cultivable intracellular endosymbiont of xylotrophic (woodfeeding)bivalves of the Family Teredinidae (shipworms). Although T. turnerae has been isolated from many shipworm taxa collected in many locations, no systematic effort has been made to explore genetic diversity within this symbiont species across the taxonomic and geographical range of its hosts.

Microbial distribution and abundance in the digestive system of five shipworm species (Bivalvia: Teredinidae).

Marine bivalves of the family Teredinidae (shipworms) are voracious consumers of wood in marine environments. In several shipworm species, dense communities of intracellular bacterial endosymbionts have been observed within specialized cells (bacteriocytes) of the gills (ctenidia). These bacteria are proposed to contribute to digestion of wood by the host.

A role for Dehalobacter spp. in the reductive dehalogenation of dichlorobenzenes and monochlorobenzene.

Previously, we demonstrated the reductive dehalogenation of dichlorobenzene (DCB) isomers to monochlorobenzene (MCB), and MCB to benzene in sediment microcosms derived from a chlorobenzene-contaminated site. In this study, enrichment cultures were established for each DCB isomer and each produced MCB and trace amounts of benzene as end products. MCB dehalogenation activity could only be transferred in sediment microcosms.

Reductive dehalogenation of dichlorobenzenes and monochlorobenzene to benzene in microcosms.

Anaerobic microcosms were constructed using sediments from a historically chlorobenzene-contaminated site and were provided with yeast extract as an electron donor. In these methanogenic microcosms, all three isomers of dichlorobenzene (DCB) were reductively dehalogenated to monochlorobenzene (MCB) when added together or individually, with 1,2-DCB dehalogenation being the most rapid and 1,4-DCB the slowest. When nearly all of the DCBs were consumed, benzene was detected and its accumulation was concomitant with MCB disappearance.

Growth of Dehalococcoides strains with chlorophenols as electron acceptors.

Dehalococcoides strains reductively dechlorinate a wide variety of halogenated compounds including chlorinated benzenes, biphenyls, naphthalenes, dioxins, and ethenes. Recent genome sequencing of the two Dehalococcoides strains CBDB1 and 195 revealed the presence of 32 and 18 reductive dehalogenase homologous genes, respectively, and therefore suggested an even higher dechlorinating potential than previously anticipated. Here, we demonstrate reductive dehalogenation of chlorophenol congeners by Dehalococcoides strains CBDB1 and 195.