Genetic manipulation of Saccharibacteria (phylum Patescibacteria) provides mechanistic insights into epibiotic lifestyle of ultrasmall bacteria (UW Microbiology Collaboration).

Written By Kristopher Kerns

Patescibacteria, also known as the candidate phyla radiation (CPR), are a diverse group of bacteria that constitute a disproportionately large fraction of microbial dark matter. Its few cultivated members, belonging mostly to Saccharibacteria, grow as epibionts on host Actinobacteria. Due to a lack of suitable tools, the genetic basis of this lifestyle and other unique features of Patescibacteira remain unexplored. Here, we show that Saccharibacteria exhibit natural competence, and we exploit this property for their genetic manipulation. Imaging of fluorescent protein-labeled Saccharibacteria provides high spatiotemporal resolution of phenomena accompanying epibiotic growth, and a transposon-insertion sequencing (Tn-seq) genome-wide screen reveals the contribution of enigmatic Saccharibacterial genes to growth on their hosts. Read the full article here!

Associated Press Release

https://newsroom.uw.edu/news/genetic-tools-probe-microbial-dark-matter

Kristopher Kerns
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