Gigantic Sulphur pearl

The size of bacteria has been altered by the discovery of a macroscopic type of bacterium in the waters of a Caribbean mangrove swamp. Thiomargarita magnifica, which means "Sulphur pearl," is a brand-new species that may be identified by its enormous, fine, white filament.

The bacterium, roughly the shape and size of an eyelash, was initially found in the mangrove swamps of Guadeloupe, an island in the Lesser Antilles, in 2009. According to Gizmodo, the bacteria emerged as centimeter-long translucent filaments on decomposing leaf detritus in the water. The size of the bacterium led researchers to believe that the white threads were eukaryotes at first.

Sulfur granules were discovered inside samples after researchers returned them to the lab and examined them under a microscope. The bacterium also has a sophisticated membrane structure and a well-defined life cycle. According to primary author and marine researcher Jean-Marie Volland, "these germs are nearly 5,000 times larger than normal bacteria." To put things in perspective, it is comparable to humans meeting someone who is as tall as Mount Everest for us.

They discovered a peculiar structure inside the enormous cell. It features a sizable vacuole in the centre. Within cells, vacuoles are typically generalist, multifunctional compartments that house fluids, trash, or enzyme collections. These cells' vacuoles, however, are peculiar in that they span the whole length of the cell and occupy the majority of the cell's volume.

Most people think of bacteria as "bags of enzymes," without a nucleus, a Golgi apparatus, or any other organelles, and with DNA floating about freely inside the cell. However, T. magnifica also has ribosomes, which produce proteins, living alongside the genome in addition to DNA contained within a membrane. Researchers looked more closely at the 12 million base pair long genome of the bacteria and discovered that it divides by restricting one end before the other.

Further research can be performed in phylogenetic analysis using cutting-edge DNA barcoding to find commonalities with other bacterial species and disclose the Sulphur pearl's evolutionary trend.

Reference:

1. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/worlds-largest-bacterium-discovered-in-caribbean-mangrove-swamps-180980309/

2. https://jgi.doe.gov/giant-bacteria-found-in-guadeloupe-mangroves-challenge-traditional-concepts/