The family acidobacteriaceae

Abstract

The Acidobacteriaceae, one of three families in the phylum Acidobacteria, contains seven validly described genera. Two major clades are identified based on 16S rRNA gene sequence phylogenetic analysis; the first contains Acidobacterium, Acidicapsa, Telmatobacter, and Bryocella, while the second contains Edaphobacter, Granulicella, and Terriglobus. Genome analysis of two type strains as well as four others in the family indicates the ability to degrade a broad array of simple carbon compounds as well as plant and microbial polysaccharides, including cellulose, although only a few species have been shown to ferment cellulose. All strains are rod-shaped and display a range of cellular and physiological characteristics. Two genera are facultative anaerobes; the rest are aerobic chemoheterotrophs. All are acidophilic and slow growing and most were difficult to isolate. All contain the isoprenoid quinone menaquinone MK-8. Strains were isolated from a variety of acidic environments, including soils, termite guts, Sphagnum peat, and acidic mine material. Based on 16S rRNA sequence analyses, the family is extremely abundant and diverse and is found in a wide range of acidic environments, including, but not limited to, soils, tundra, lakes, sediments, acidic mine sites, and uranium-contaminated soils.