Chloroflexus aurantiacus: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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==Physiology==

As a genus, ''Chloroflexus'' spp. are filamentous anoxygenic phototrophic (FAP) organisms that utilize [[photosystem II|type II]] photosynthetic reaction centers containing [[bacteriochlorophyll]] ''a'' similar to the [[purple bacteria]], and light-harvesting [[chlorosome]]s containing bacteriochlorophyll ''c'' similar to [[green sulfur bacteria]] of the ''Chlorobi''. Like other members of its phylum (''cf.'' [[Chloroflexi (phylum)|Chloroflexi]]), the species stains [[Gram negative]], yet has a single lipid layer (monoderm),<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Sutcliffe | first1 = I. C. | title = A phylum level perspective on bacterial cell envelope architecture | doi = 10.1016/j.tim.2010.06.005 | journal = Trends in Microbiology | volume = 18 | issue = 10 | pages = 464–470 | year = 2010 | pmid = 20637628| pmc = }}</ref> but with thin [[peptidoglycan]], which is compensated for by [[S-layer|S-layer protein]].

As the name implies, these anoxygenic phototrophs do not produce oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis, in contrast to oxygenic phototrophs such as [[cyanobacteria]], [[algae]], and higher [[plants]]. While oxygenic phototrophs use [[water]] as an [[electron donor]] for phototrophy, ''Chloroflexus'' uses reduced sulfur compounds such as [[hydrogen sulfide]], [[thiosulfate]], or elemental sulfur. This belies their obsolescent name '''green non-sulfur bacteria'''; however, ''Chloroflexus'' spp. can also utilize [[hydrogen]](H₂) as a source of electrons.