Polynucleobacter hirudinilacicola

General Information

Polynucleobacter hirudinilacicola is a fascinating microorganism that belongs to the genus Polynucleobacter. This species is particularly interesting due to its unique ecological niche and symbiotic relationships. It was originally isolated from the medicinal leech Hirudo medicinalis, which highlights its role in a specialized environment. One of the most compelling aspects of P. hirudinilacicola is its adaptation to the gut environment of leeches, where it likely plays a role in the digestion process or in maintaining the health of its host. This symbiotic relationship makes it a valuable subject for studying host-microbe interactions and the evolution of symbiosis. Additionally, Polynucleobacter hirudinilacicola is part of a larger group of bacteria that are known for their genomic streamlining. This means that they have relatively small genomes, which is an adaptation to their specific ecological niches. The streamlined genome of P. hirudinilacicola can provide insights into the minimal genetic requirements for survival and symbiosis, making it a model organism for studying genome reduction and efficiency. Furthermore, the study of P. hirudinilacicola can contribute to our understanding of microbial diversity and ecosystem functioning. Its presence in the leech gut suggests it may have specialized metabolic capabilities that are beneficial to its host, potentially including the breakdown of complex organic compounds or the production of essential nutrients. In summary, Polynucleobacter hirudinilacicola is a microorganism of significant interest due to its symbiotic relationship with medicinal leeches, genomic streamlining, and potential contributions to our understanding of host-microbe interactions and microbial ecology.

Polynucleobacter hirudinilacicola is a fascinating freshwater bacterium that belongs to the family of Burkholderiaceae. This organism is particularly notable for its ecological role in freshwater ecosystems, where it contributes to the cycling of nutrients and the maintenance of microbial diversity. One of the most interesting aspects of P. hirudinilacicola is its symbiotic relationship with aquatic organisms, particularly leeches, which serve as hosts. This association not only highlights the organism's adaptability but also its potential importance in understanding host-microbe interactions in aquatic environments. The genome of P. hirudinilacicola has been sequenced, revealing insights into its metabolic capabilities and ecological functions. This genomic information is invaluable for researchers studying microbial ecology and evolution, as it provides a window into the genetic adaptations that allow this bacterium to thrive in specific niches. Furthermore, the organism's ability to utilize a variety of organic compounds makes it a model organism for studying metabolic pathways and microbial interactions in freshwater habitats. In addition to its ecological significance, P. hirudinilacicola has garnered interest in the field of biotechnology. Its metabolic versatility suggests potential applications in bioremediation and the development of bioindicators for freshwater quality assessment. Overall, Polynucleobacter hirudinilacicola stands out as a unique and valuable organism for research, offering insights into microbial ecology, symbiosis, and potential biotechnological applications.

Taxonomy

Superkingdom: Bacteria

Phylum: Pseudomonadota

Class: Betaproteobacteria

Order: Burkholderiales

Family: Burkholderiaceae

Genus: Polynucleobacter

Species: Polynucleobacter hirudinilacicola

NCBI ID

1743166

Genome Info

FTP Path:
ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genomes/all/GCF/002/192/535/GCF_002192535.1_ASM219253v1

File for sequence-based predictions:
GCF_002192535.1_ASM219253v1_genomic.fasta

Descriptions

Clinical Implications and Relevance

Source: gpt-4o-mini-2024-07-18

Polynucleobacter hirudinilacicola, a member of the genus Polynucleobacter, is a freshwater bacterium that has garnered attention for its potential role in human health and disease associations. While primarily known for its ecological significance in aquatic environments, its clinical implications are emerging, particularly in relation to its interactions with the human microbiome. This organism is considered a potential probiotic, contributing to gut health by promoting a balanced microbial community and possibly enhancing immune response mechanisms. However, the pathogenicity of Polynucleobacter hirudinilacicola is not well-documented, and it is not typically associated with infections in humans. Its presence in the human microbiome may indicate a symbiotic relationship, but further research is needed to fully understand its role and any potential disease associations. In terms of antimicrobial resistance, there is currently limited information available regarding this organism's resistance mechanisms. Its ecological adaptability suggests that it may possess certain traits that could be relevant in the context of antibiotic resistance, but this remains an area for future investigation. Overall, while Polynucleobacter hirudinilacicola is not widely recognized for direct clinical implications, its potential as a probiotic and its role in maintaining microbial diversity in the human gut highlight its relevance in the broader context of human health.

Habitat and Ecological Niches

Source: gpt-4o-mini-2024-07-18

Polynucleobacter hirudinilacicola is a freshwater bacterium commonly found in lentic environments such as ponds, lakes, and slow-moving streams. This microorganism thrives in oligotrophic waters, which are characterized by low nutrient concentrations and high oxygen levels. Its presence is often associated with submerged vegetation and biofilms, where it plays a crucial role in nutrient cycling and organic matter decomposition. In these freshwater biomes, P. hirudinilacicola exhibits notable interactions with its surroundings. It is known to engage in symbiotic relationships with various aquatic organisms, including protozoa and invertebrates, contributing to the overall health of the ecosystem. By participating in the breakdown of organic materials, it helps maintain the trophic dynamics of the water body, supporting higher trophic levels. Additionally, this bacterium demonstrates remarkable environmental adaptation capabilities, allowing it to survive in varying conditions of temperature and pH. Its ability to utilize different carbon sources enhances its ecological niche, making it a vital component of the microbial community in freshwater habitats. Overall, Polynucleobacter hirudinilacicola exemplifies the intricate relationships and ecological functions that microorganisms fulfill in freshwater ecosystems.

Industrial Application

Source: gpt-4o-mini-2024-07-18

The microorganism Polynucleobacter hirudinilacicola has shown potential in various industrial applications, particularly in the fields of biotechnology and waste management. This organism is known for its role in biodegradation, where it can effectively break down organic pollutants in aquatic environments, contributing to the purification of water bodies. Its ability to thrive in freshwater ecosystems makes it a candidate for bioremediation processes aimed at restoring contaminated habitats. In the realm of biofuel production, Polynucleobacter hirudinilacicola may play a role in the fermentation of organic materials, potentially aiding in the conversion of biomass into bioethanol or other biofuels. The metabolic pathways utilized by this microorganism can be harnessed to enhance the efficiency of biofuel production processes. Additionally, there is interest in the pharmaceutical development sector, where the unique metabolic capabilities of Polynucleobacter hirudinilacicola could lead to the discovery of novel compounds with therapeutic properties. The organism's enzymatic activity may be explored for the production of specific enzymes that have applications in drug synthesis or as biocatalysts in various chemical reactions. Overall, Polynucleobacter hirudinilacicola represents a promising candidate for multiple industrial applications, particularly in waste treatment, biodegradation, and biofuel production, highlighting its versatility and importance in sustainable practices.

Phenotypes and Predictions

The table shows the phenotypes and predictions. Cell colors indicate the class of the value. When literature-based data is available, a checkmark (✓) indicates a correct prediction, while an ✗ indicates an incorrect prediction.

Literature-based phenotypes: 9

LLM predicted phenotypes: 3

Phenotype	High-quality annotation	mistralai/mixtral-8x7b-instruct:nitro	meta-llama/llama-3-70b-instruct:nitro	google/gemini-flash-1.5	google/palm-2-chat-bison-32k	perplexity/llama-3-sonar-small-32k-chat	openchat/openchat-7b	anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet	openai/gpt-3.5-turbo-0125	openai/gpt-3.5-turbo-0125	meta-llama/llama-3-8b-instruct:nitro	meta-llama/llama-3-8b-instruct:nitro	openai/gpt-4	openai/gpt-4	microsoft/wizardlm-2-8x22b	microsoft/wizardlm-2-8x22b	google/gemini-pro-1.5	google/gemini-pro-1.5	mistralai/mistral-7b-instruct	mistralai/mistral-7b-instruct	google/gemma-7b-it	google/gemma-7b-it	google/gemini-pro	google/gemini-pro	openai/gpt-4o	openai/gpt-4o	microsoft/phi-3-mini-128k-instruct	microsoft/phi-3-mini-128k-instruct	anthropic/claude-3-haiku:beta	anthropic/claude-3-haiku:beta
Motility	FALSE	false ✓	true ✗	true ✗	true ✗	true ✗	false ✓	true ✗	true ✗	true ✗	true ✗	true ✗	true ✗	true ✗	false ✓	false ✓	true ✗	true ✗	true ✗	true ✗	true ✗	true ✗	true ✗	true ✗	false ✓	false ✓	true ✗	true ✗	true ✗	true ✗
Gram staining	gram stain negative	gram stain negative ✓	gram stain negative ✓	gram stain negative ✓	gram stain negative ✓	gram stain negative ✓	gram stain negative ✓	gram stain negative ✓	N/A	gram stain negative ✓	N/A	gram stain negative ✓	N/A	gram stain negative ✓	N/A	gram stain negative ✓	N/A	gram stain negative ✓	N/A	gram stain negative ✓	N/A	gram stain negative ✓	N/A	gram stain negative ✓	N/A	gram stain negative ✓	N/A	gram stain variable ✗	N/A	gram stain negative ✓
Aerophilicity	aerobic	facultatively anaerobic ✗	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	facultatively anaerobic ✗	facultatively anaerobic ✗	aerotolerant ✗	aerotolerant ✗	aerobic ✓	aerobic ✓	aerobic ✓	aerobic ✓	aerobic ✓	aerobic ✓	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Extreme environment tolerance	FALSE	false ✓	true ✗	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	true ✗	true ✗	true ✗	true ✗	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	true ✗	true ✗	false ✓	false ✓
Biofilm formation	N/A	true	true	true	true	true	false	true	true	true	true	true	false	false	true	true	false	false	true	true	true	true	false	false	false	false	true	true	true	true
Animal pathogenicity	N/A	false	false	false	false	false	false	false	false	false	false	false	false	false	false	false	false	false	false	false	false	false	false	false	false	false	false	false	false	false
Biosafety level	biosafety level 1	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 2 ✗	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 2 ✗	biosafety level 2 ✗	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓
Health association	N/A	true	true	true	true	true	false	true	false	false	true	true	true	true	true	true	true	true	false	false	false	false	true	true	true	true	false	false	true	true
Host association	FALSE	true ✗	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	true ✗	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓
Plant pathogenicity	FALSE	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓
Spore formation	FALSE	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓
Hemolysis	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Cell shape	bacillus	coccus ✗	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	coccus ✗	coccus ✗	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓

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