Vibrio fischeri: Encyclopedia - Vibrio fischeri

Vibrio fischeri

Vibrio fischeri is a rod-shaped bacterium found globally in the marine environments. It has bioluminescent properties, and is found predominately in symbiosis with various marine animals, such as the Bobtail squid. It is heterotrophic and moves by means of flagella. Free living vibrios survive on decaying organic matter (see saprophyte). The bacterium is a key research organism for examination of microbial fluorescence and bacterial-animal symbiosis.

Vibrio fischeri - Ecology

Planktonic V. fischeri are found in very low quantities (almost undetectable) in almost all oceans of the world, preferentially found in temperate and sub-tropical waters. These free-living vibrios subsist on organics within the water. They are found in higher concentrations in symbiosis with certain deep sea marine life within special light-organs; or as part of the normal enteral microbiota of marine animals. Additionally the bacteria can be pathogenic to certain species of marine invertebrates, some of which are commercially farmed in aquaculture. This disease is known as luminous vibriosis.

Vibrio fischeri - Symbiotic relationship

Symbiotic realtionships in monocentrid fishes and sepolid squid appear to have evolved separately. the most prolific of these relationships is with the Hawaiian bobtail squid (Euprymna scolopes)

Free-living vibrios in the ocean waters inoculate the light organs of juvenile squid and fish. Ciliated cells within the light organs selectively draw in the symbiotic bacteria. These cells promote the growth of the sybionts and actively reject any competitors. Through quorum sensing the bacteria cause these cells to die off once the light organ is sufficiently colonised.

The light organ of certain squid contain reflective plates that intesify and direct the light produced, due to proteins known as reflectins.

Sepolid squids expel 90% of the symbiotic bacteria in its light organ each morning in process known as "venting". Venting is hypothesised to provide the free-living inoculum source for newly hatched squids.

Vibrio fischeri - Bioluminescence

The bioluminescence of V. fischeri is also caused by transcription induced by population-dependent quorum sensing. The luminescence is only seen when population density reaches a certain level.

The luminescence appears to follow a circadian rhythm, that is, it is brighter during the nightime than daytime.

The bioluminescence has also been shown to be proportionally related to both protection against ultraviolet radiation damage to genes and the pathogenicity of bioluminescent vibrios.

Vibrio fischeri - Genetics of bioluminescence

The bacterial luciferin-luciferase system is encoded by subset of genes labelled the Lux operon. In V. fischeri 5 such genes (LuxCDABE) have been identified to display activity with regards to the emission of visible light, and two genes (LuxR and LuxL) to be involved in regulating the operon. Several external and intrinsic factors appear to induce and inhibit the transcription of this gene set and produce or suppress light emission. More research is being done to better our understanding of these processes.

Vibrio fischeri - List of pseudonyms

• Achromobacter fischeri
• "Vibrio noctiluca" Weisglass and Skreb 1963
• Vibrio noctiluca
• "Achromobacter fischeri" (Beijerinck 1889) Bergey et al. 1930
• "Microspira fischeri" (Beijerinck 1889) Chester 1901
• Microspira fischeri
• "Microspira marina" (Russell 1892) Migula 1900
• Microspira marina
• "Bacterium phosphorescens indigenus" (Eisenberg 1891) Chester 1897
• "Bacillus phosphorescens indigenus" Eisenberg 1891
• Bacillus phosphorescens indigenus
• "Bacillus fischeri" (Beijerinck 1889) Trevisan 1889
• Bacillus fischeri
• "Photobacterium fischeri" Beijerinck 1889
• "Einheimischer Leuchtbacillus" Fischer 1888
• Vibrio fischeri (Beijerinck 1889) Lehmann and Neumann 1896 (Approved Lists 1980)
• Einheimischer Leuchtbacillus
• Photobacterium fischeri (Beijerinck 1889) Reichelt and Baumann 1973 (Approved Lists 1980)
• Photobacterium fischeri

From NCBI Taxbrowser

See also

• Vibrio harveyi
• Deep sea fish
• model organism
• marine biology

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Vibrio fischeri", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki