Featured Microbe:

Rhodoglobus vestalii

Rhodoglobus vestalii was isolated in our lab and was noticed for it's bulbous protusions, as seen in this electron microscope picture:

We characterized this novel psychrophilic Gram-positive bacterium (designated LV3) after isolating it from a sample taken from a lake near the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica . It forms red pigmented colonies (see below), grows on a variety of media at temperatures between -2°C to 21°C. Cells have unusual cell morphology - small rods (1.0-1.2 mm x 0.15-0.2 mm) with bulbous protrusions (0.8 mm in diameter). Based on the low temperature for growth, unusual cell shape, distinct 16S rRNA gene sequence and structure, and cell-wall composition, we proposed the creation of the new genus Rhodoglobus gen. nov. and the new species Rhodoglobus  vestalii sp. nov. (type strain LV3, ATCC BAA-534) within the family Microbacteriaceae (P. Sheridan, J. Loveland-Curtze,  V. Miteva, and J. Brenchley Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 2003, 53, 4, 985-994)

Colonies of Rhodoglobus vestalii

Brenchley Lab Home Page

Greenland Microbial Observatory Homepage