Magnetococcus marinus

Magnetococcus marinus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Bacteria
Phylum:	Proteobacteria
Class:	Alphaproteobacteria
Subclass:	Magnetococcidae
Order:	Magnetococcales
Family:	Magnetococcaceae
Genus:	Magnetococcus

Magnetococcus marinus is a species of Alphaproteobacteria that has the peculiar ability to form a structure called a magnetosome, a membrane encased single-magnetic-domain mineral crystals formed by biomineralisation, which allows the cells to orientate along the Earth’s geomagnetic field.^[1]

It is a basal group in the Alphaproteobacteria.

Phylogeny of Rickettsiales

Magnetococcidae Magnetococcales Magnetococcaceae Magnetococcus marinus Caulobacteridae Rhodospirillales, Sphingomonadales, Rhodobacteraceae, Rhizobiales, etc. Holosporales Rickettsidae Pelagibacterales Pelagibacteraceae Pelagibacter subgroups Ib, II, IIIa, IIIb, IV and V Mitochondria Anaplasmataceae Ehrlichia Anaplasma Wolbachia Neorickettsia Midichloriaceae Midichloria Rickettsiaceae Rickettsia

Robust 16S + 23S phylogeny of Rickettsidae from Ferla et al. (2013)[2]

References

1. Bazylinski, D. A.; Williams, T. J.; Lefevre, C. T.; Berg, R. J.; Zhang, C. L.; Bowser, S. S.; Dean, A. J.; Beveridge, T. J. (2012). "Magnetococcus marinus gen. nov., sp. nov., a marine, magnetotactic bacterium that represents a novel lineage (Magnetococcaceae fam. Nov., Magnetococcales ord. Nov.) at the base of the Alphaproteobacteria". International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology 63: 801. doi:10.1099/ijs.0.038927-0.
2. Ferla, M. P.; Thrash, J. C.; Giovannoni, S. J.; Patrick, W. M. (2013). "New rRNA gene-based phylogenies of the Alphaproteobacteria provide perspective on major groups, mitochondrial ancestry and phylogenetic instability". PLoS ONE 8 (12): e83383. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0083383. PMC 3859672. PMID 24349502.