Roseobacter is a genus of bacteria in the family Paracoccaceae. The Roseobacter clade falls within the {alpha}-3 subclass of the class Alphaproteobacteria. The first strain descriptions appeared in 1991 which described members Roseobacter litoralis and Roseobacter denitrificans, both pink-pigmented bacteriochlorophyll a-producing strains isolated from marine algae. The role members of the Roseobacter lineage play in marine biogeochemical cycles and climate change cannot be overestimated. Roseobacters make up 25% of coastal marine bacteria and members of this lineage process a significant portion of the total carbon in the marine environment. Roseobacter clade plays an important role in global carbon and sulphur cycles. It can also degrade aromatic compounds, uptake trace metal, and form symbiotic relationship. In term of its application, Roseobacter clade produces bioactive compounds, has been used widely in aquaculture and quorum sensing.
Description Roseobacter is one of the most abundant and versatile microorganisms in the ocean. They are diversified across different types of marine habitats: from coastal to open oceans and from sea ice to sea floor. They make up around 25% of marine communities. During algal blooms, 20-30% of the prokaryotic community are Roseobacter. Members of Roseobacter clade display diverse physiologies, and are commonly found to be either free living, particle associated, or in commensal relationships with marine phytoplankton, invertebrates, and vertebrates. Roseobacter are similar to phytoplankton in that both of them colonize surfaces, scavenge iron and produce bioactive secondary metabolites.
Common Clusters
Genomic features
Size Most of the Roseobacters analyzed so far have large genomes: ranging from 3.5Mbp to 5.0Mbp. The smallest found is the genome of Loktanella vestfoldensis SKA53 with 3.06 Mbp, the largest that of Roseovarius sp. HTCC2601 with 5.4 Mbp. In Jannaschia sp. CCS1, Silicibacter pomeroyi DSS-3, and Silicibacter sp. TM1040, the fraction of non-orthologous genes form 1/3 of the genomes.
Plasmids Plasmids are common to be seen in Roseobacters. The size of plasmids range from 4.3 to 821.7 Kb. They can make up 20% of the genome content. Ecologically relevant genes can be found encoded on plasmids. Genome plasticity could be a reason to explain the diversity and adaptability of Roseobacters, which is supported by the high number of probably conjugative plasmids. Linear conformation can be exhibited by plasmids, which is common for Roseobacters. In some strains, plasmid borne take place in a large proportion in genome content. Even though the mobility of plasmid has not yet been examined in the strains, they might contribute to the physiological diversity of Roseobacter.
Importance of genome study Comparison and analyzation of genomes of Roseobacter clade organisms is important because it can give insight into horizontal gene transfer and specific adaptation processes. As the Roseobacter population is widely distributed worldwide with distinct types of habitats, the success of Roseobacter clade can not be explained by only investigating one single population. Hence, the key to understand why this clade is so abundant is to study the genetic as well as the metabolic diversity of organisms of the whole clade.
Ecology The Roseobacter clade is mostly found in the marine environment. The various species of Roseobacter each have their own ecological niche. Several isolates have been captured from a vast number of ecosystems in coastal areas and open oceans. Roseobacters are a significant part of bacterial communities connected to phytoplankton, macroalgae, and several marine animals. Different lifestyles such as mutualistic and pathogenic have been proposed. Members of the clade are spread all over temperate and polar oceans, and are also considerable in sea ice ecosystems. They are suggested to be extensive within coastal sediments, deep pelagic ocean, and deep sea sediments. The Roseobacter clade has immense diversity of metabolic proficiency and regulatory circuits, which can be credited to their prosperity in a vast number of marine ecosystems.
Evolution The Roseobacter clade can be found in coastal areas living freely in bulk seawater or in coastal sediments. In these coastal ecosystems, the Roseobacter clade interact with phytoplankton, macro algae and various marine animals living both mutualistic and pathogenic life styles. The Rosebacter clade can also be found in the deep pelagic ocean, deep-sea sediments and even the polar ocean. The reason why they are abundant in various marine habitats is because they have diverse metabolic capabilities and regulatory circuits.
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