A large colonial choanoflagellate from Mono Lake harbors live bacteria

[erik simpson]

https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mbio.01623-24

ABSTRACT
As the closest living relatives of animals, choanoflagellates offer
insights into the ancestry of animal cell physiology. Here, we report
the isolation and characterization of a colonial choanoflagellate from
Mono Lake, California. The choanoflagellate forms large spherical
colonies that are an order of magnitude larger than those formed by the
closely related choanoflagellate Salpingoeca rosetta. In cultures
maintained in the laboratory, the lumen of the spherical colony is
filled with a branched network of extracellular matrix and colonized by
bacteria, including diverse Gammaproteobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria.
We propose to erect Barroeca monosierra gen. nov., sp. nov. Hake,
Burkhardt, Richter, and King to accommodate this extremophile
choanoflagellate. The physical association between bacteria and B.
monosierra in culture presents a new experimental model for
investigating interactions among bacteria and eukaryotes. Future work
will investigate the nature of these interactions in wild populations
and the mechanisms underpinning the colonization of B. monosierra
spheres by bacteria.

[RonO]

Post by erik simpson
https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mbio.01623-24
ABSTRACT
As the closest living relatives of animals, choanoflagellates offer
insights into the ancestry of animal cell physiology. Here, we report
the isolation and characterization of a colonial choanoflagellate from
Mono Lake, California. The choanoflagellate forms large spherical
colonies that are an order of magnitude larger than those formed by the
closely related choanoflagellate Salpingoeca rosetta. In cultures
maintained in the laboratory, the lumen of the spherical colony is
filled with a branched network of extracellular matrix and colonized by
bacteria, including diverse Gammaproteobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria.
We propose to erect Barroeca monosierra gen. nov., sp. nov. Hake,
Burkhardt, Richter, and King to accommodate this extremophile
choanoflagellate. The physical association between bacteria and B.
monosierra in culture presents a new experimental model for
investigating interactions among bacteria and eukaryotes. Future work
will investigate the nature of these interactions in wild populations
and the mechanisms underpinning the colonization of B. monosierra
spheres by bacteria.

When it was pointed out on TO that bacteria far outnumber all other
lifeforms on the planet I once joked that the designer had obviously
created multicellular lifeforms as condominiums for his prize pet
bacteria, and that when the designer got around to checking back in that
there would be hell to pay when he finds out that one of the
condominiums is using things like antibiotics and soap to kill trillions
of his pets. Behe may think along the same lines because why else would
a designer give a plague bacteria like Y. pestis a flagellum?

Ron Okimoto

[Athel Cornish-Bowden]

Post by erik simpson
https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mbio.01623-24
ABSTRACT
As the closest living relatives of animals, choanoflagellates offer
insights into the ancestry of animal cell physiology. Here, we report
the isolation and characterization of a colonial choanoflagellate from
Mono Lake, California. The choanoflagellate forms large spherical
colonies that are an order of magnitude larger

by volume, by surface area, by diameter? It makes a huge difference.

Post by erik simpson
than those formed by the closely related choanoflagellate Salpingoeca
rosetta. In cultures maintained in the laboratory, the lumen of the
spherical colony is filled with a branched network of extracellular
matrix and colonized by bacteria, including diverse Gammaproteobacteria
and Alphaproteobacteria. We propose to erect Barroeca monosierra gen.
nov., sp. nov. Hake, Burkhardt, Richter, and King to accommodate this
extremophile choanoflagellate. The physical association between
bacteria and B. monosierra in culture presents a new experimental model
for investigating interactions among bacteria and eukaryotes. Future
work will investigate the nature of these interactions in wild
populations and the mechanisms underpinning the colonization of B.
monosierra spheres by bacteria.

[Ernest Major]

Post by Athel Cornish-Bowden

Post by erik simpson
https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mbio.01623-24
ABSTRACT
As the closest living relatives of animals, choanoflagellates offer
insights into the ancestry of animal cell physiology. Here, we report
the isolation and characterization of a colonial choanoflagellate from
Mono Lake, California. The choanoflagellate forms large spherical
colonies that are an order of magnitude larger

by volume, by surface area, by diameter? It makes a huge difference.

It's open access. S. rosetta colonies are 10-15 micrometers in diameter.
B. monosierra colonies are 10-120 micrometers in diameter. The
respective modes are 12 and 26 micrometers in diameter. So the maximum
is an order of magnitude larger in diameter, and the mode an order of
magnitude larger in volume. The caption to figure 1F applies order of
magnitude to the diameter, in which case the abstract should have
included the words "up to".

Post by Athel Cornish-Bowden

Post by erik simpson
 than those formed by the closely related choanoflagellate Salpingoeca
rosetta. In cultures maintained in the laboratory, the lumen of the
spherical colony is filled with a branched network of extracellular
matrix and colonized by bacteria, including diverse
Gammaproteobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria. We propose to erect
Barroeca monosierra gen. nov., sp. nov. Hake, Burkhardt, Richter, and
King to accommodate this extremophile choanoflagellate. The physical
association between bacteria and B. monosierra in culture presents a
new experimental model for investigating interactions among bacteria
and eukaryotes. Future work will investigate the nature of these
interactions in wild populations and the mechanisms underpinning the
colonization of B. monosierra spheres by bacteria.

[Athel Cornish-Bowden]

Post by Ernest Major

Post by Athel Cornish-Bowden

Post by erik simpson
https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mbio.01623-24
ABSTRACT
As the closest living relatives of animals, choanoflagellates offer
insights into the ancestry of animal cell physiology. Here, we report
the isolation and characterization of a colonial choanoflagellate from
Mono Lake, California. The choanoflagellate forms large spherical
colonies that are an order of magnitude larger

by volume, by surface area, by diameter? It makes a huge difference.

It's open access.

Maybe, but are you seriously suggesting that we need to go to a page on
the web to find out how to correct a major omission in what you wrote?

Post by Ernest Major
S. rosetta colonies are 10-15 micrometers in diameter. B. monosierra
colonies are 10-120 micrometers in diameter. The respective modes are
12 and 26 micrometers in diameter. So the maximum is an order of
magnitude larger in diameter, and the mode an order of magnitude larger
in volume. The caption to figure 1F applies order of magnitude to the
diameter, in which case the abstract should have included the words "up
to".

Post by Athel Cornish-Bowden

Post by erik simpson
 than those formed by the closely related choanoflagellate Salpingoeca
rosetta. In cultures maintained in the laboratory, the lumen of the
spherical colony is filled with a branched network of extracellular
matrix and colonized by bacteria, including diverse Gammaproteobacteria
and Alphaproteobacteria. We propose to erect Barroeca monosierra gen.
nov., sp. nov. Hake, Burkhardt, Richter, and King to accommodate this
extremophile choanoflagellate. The physical association between
bacteria and B. monosierra in culture presents a new experimental model
for investigating interactions among bacteria and eukaryotes. Future
work will investigate the nature of these interactions in wild
populations and the mechanisms underpinning the colonization of B.
monosierra spheres by bacteria.