Desulfobulbus propionicus
Desulfobulbus propionicus is a Gram-negative, anaerobic chemoorganotroph. Three separate strains have been identified: 1pr3, 2pr4, and 3pr10. It is also the first pure culture example of successful disproportionation of elemental sulfur to sulfate and sulfide. "Desulfobulbus propionicus" has the potential to produce free energy (in the form of electrons) and chemical products. Discovery. "Desulfobulbus propionicus" was discovered in 1982 by Friedrich Widdel and Norbert Pfenning. "Desulfobulbus" "propionicus" was isolated from samples taken from anaerobic mud in a village ditch, pond, and marine mud flat in Germany. All three strains were isolated using the agar shake dilution method  on a basal medium with added sulfate, mineral salts, iron, trace elements, bicarbonate, sulfide, and seven vitamins. Etymology. The genus "Desulfobulbus" can be derived from the Latin words -de meaning from, -sulfo meaning sulfur, and -bulbus meaning onion shaped literally meaning onion-shaped sulfate reducer. The species name "propionicus" is derived from the organisms electron donor propionate. Taxonomic and phylogenetic description. "Desulfobulbus propionicus" possesses three strains: 1pr3, 2pr4, and 3pr10. Similarly, all three strains are Gram-negative, sulfur-reducers with the ability to grow exclusively on lactate or pyruvate without any external electron or carbon sources. What separates 1pr3 from  its sister strains is its ability to reduce sulfite and thiosulfate to hydrogen sulfide (HS); reduce nitrate to ammonia; lastly, its presence of cytochrome types b- and c-. Furthermore, strain 1pr3 differentiated from the others in shape (1pr3 possesses pointed ends compared to ovoid or ellipsoidal shaped ends), motility (1pr3 lacks motility, whereas the others possess flagella), and the presence of fimbriae (2pr4 and 3pr10 strains do not). In terms of the genus "Desulfobulbus", the closest relatives of "D. propionicus" are "D. elongatus" with an identity of 96.9%, followed by "D. rhabdoformis", and then "D. mediterraneus" and "D. japonicas" with  equal relation respective to the phylogenetic tree constructed using 16S rRNA sequences. Characterization. Morphology. "Desulfobulbus propionicus" is a Gram-negative, ellipsoidal to lemon-shaped bacteria, with an average length of 1.0 to 1.3μm and a width of 1.8 to 2.0μm. "D. propionicus" functions as an anaerobic chemoorganotroph. The three strains differ in shape, motility, and presence of fimbriae. Metabolism. "Desulfobulbus propionicus" is an anaerobic chemoorganotroph. "D. propionicus" uses the methylmalony-CoA pathway to ferment 3 moles of pyruvate to 2 moles of acetate and 1 mole of propionate. "Desulfobulbus" "propionicus" utilizes propionate, lactate, pyruvate, and alcohols from the environment as  not only electron sources, but for carbon sources as well. Hydrogen gas (H) is only utilized as an electron donor in the presence of carbon dioxide and acetate. As assumed by its name, "Desulfobulbus" "propionicus" reduces sulfate, sulfite, and thiosulfate to hydrogen sulfide (HS), but does not reduce elemental sulfur, malate, and fumarate. When sulfate is absent ethanol is fermented to propionate and acetate. In the absence of an electron acceptor, "D. propionicus" produces sulfate and sulfide from elemental sulfur and water. Also, "Desulfobulbus propionicus" strains 1pr3 and 3pr10 can only grow in defined minimal media with the addition of  a vitamin 4-aminobenzoic acid, whereas strain 2pr4 does not show this additional requirement. Furthermore, the 2pr4 strain is the only of the three to show growth with butyrate as an electron donor and carbon source, however, the growth is slow compared to other substrates. Genome. Of the three strains within "Desulfobulbus propionicus", 1pr3 is the only to have its genome completely sequenced. It was sequenced in 2011 by Pagani "et al." Strain 1pr3 was found to encompass a genome size of 3,851,869 bp, with a G-C content of 58.93%. Pagani "et al." predicted 3,408 genes in the genome  of 1pr3, with 3,351 genes that encode proteins. The genome contains 57 RNA genes and two rRNA operons. Furthermore, there is 68 pseudo genes which makes up 2.0% of the total genome size. Ecology. "Desulfobulbus propionicus" inhabits anaerobic freshwaters and marine sediments. Among the three strains, they differ in: temperature ranges, optimal temperature, pH range, optimal pH, and NaCl concentration requirements (1pr3 and 2pr4 show slowed growth above a NaCl concentration of 15 g/L, and 3pr10 shows no growth below 15 g/L). Application. "Desulfobulbus propionicus" can serve as a biocatalyst in microbial electrosynthesis. Microbial electrosynthesis is the usage  of electrons by microorganism to reduce carbon dioxide to organic molecules. "Desulfobulbus propionicus", when present at the anode, oxidizes elemental sulfur to sulfate, which creates free electrons in the process. The free electrons flow to the organism located at the cathode. The microbe present at the cathode utilizes the electron energy transferred from "Desulfobulbus propionicus" to create organic matter (e.g. acetate) by reducing carbon dioxide. The use of microbial electrosynthesis has potential to aid in the production and waste maintenance of industrial chemicals and energy production.