Mycoplasma fermentans JER
| Names | Mycoplasma fermentans JER |
|---|---|
| Accession numbers | NC_014552 |
| Background | This genus currently comprises more than 120 obligate parasitic species found in a wide spectrum of hosts, including humans, animals, insects and plants. Infection proceeds through bacterial attachment to the host cell via specialized surface proteins, adhesins, and subsequent invasion, and results in prolonged intracellular persistence that may cause lethality. One mechanism by which many mycoplasmas evade the host's adaptive immune responses is through the phase-variable production of critical surface proteins. All mycoplasmas are phenotypically distinguished from other bacteria by their small size (0.3-0.8 um in diameter) and lack a cell wall. The latter is one of the major traits that puts them in the separate taxonomic group of microorganisms, class Mollicutes. The cell membrane is rich in protein components (up to two-thirds of the membrane mass) that to a great extent consist of highly structurally adaptive lipoproteins employed in invading the host immune system, attachment to the host cells and pathogenic invasion. Most mycoplasmas are non-motile, with the exception of a few flask-shaped human and animal pathogens (M. pneumoniae, M. genitalium, M. gallisepticum, M. pulmonis and M. mobile). Cell division proceeds via normal binary fission or via elongation of a parent cell to multinucleate filaments and subsequent breakup into coccoid bodies. Mycoplasmas carry the smallest genomes of self-replicating cells (500-1000 coding regions), and thus were among the first microorganisms selected for the genome-sequencing projects. Examination of the mycoplasma genomic data indicates the biochemical pathways where gene reductions took place, and helps define the set of genes essential for a minimal self-replicating cell. During their evolution, mycoplasmas appear to have lost all the genes involved in amino acid and cofactor biosynthesis, synthesis of the cell wall and lipid metabolism, resulting in the requirement of the full spectrum of the substrates and factors taken up from the host or from the complex artificial culture medium. The majority of mycoplasmas are deficient in genes coding for components of intermediary and energy metabolism and thus depend mostly on glycolysis as an ATP-generating pathway. M. fermentans was isolated from the urogenital tract decades ago, and has been implicated in several disease conditions, including recently rheumatoid arthritis. Strain JER was derived by in vitro passages from a strain (ATCC 15474) isolated from a human patient (adapted from PMID 21109561). (HAMAP: MYCFJ) |
| Taxonomy | |
| Kingdom: | Bacteria |
| Phylum: | Tenericutes |
| Class: | NA |
| Order: | NA |
| Family: | NA |
| Genus: | NA |
| Species: | NA |
| Strain | JER |
| Complete | Yes |
| Sequencing centre | (04-OCT-2010) National Center for Biotechnology Information, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA (26-MAR-2010) Goettingen Genomics Laboratory, Georg-August University Goettingen, Grisebachstrasse 8, Goettingen, |
| Sequencing quality | Level 6: Finished |
| Sequencing depth | NA |
| Sequencing method | NA |
| Isolation site | a non-AIDS patient with acute respiratory disease |
| Isolation country | NA |
| Number of replicons | 1 |
| Gram staining properties | Negative |
| Shape | Cocci |
| Mobility | No |
| Flagellar presence | No |
| Number of membranes | 1 |
| Oxygen requirements | Facultative |
| Optimal temperature | NA |
| Temperature range | Mesophilic |
| Habitat | HostAssociated |
| Biotic relationship | Free living |
| Host name | Homo sapiens |
| Cell arrangement | Singles |
| Sporulation | Nonsporulating |
| Metabolism | NA |
| Energy source | NA |
| Diseases | Respiratory and urogenital tract infections, arthritis |
| Pathogenicity | Yes |