Dictionary > Proteobacteria

Proteobacteria

Definition
noun
(taxonomy) A phylum of the domain Bacteria that includes medically and scientifically important species such as Escherichia, Salmonella, Vibrio, Helicobacter, and Yersinia
Supplement
The phylum (Proteobacteria) belongs to the domain Bacteria and is comprised of gram-negative bacteria with an outer membrane consisting largely of lipopolysaccharides. Many of them have flagella used for locomotion. Few of them move through bacterial gliding; others are non-motile. Members of this phylum are anaerobic. Many of which are facultative anaerobes; others are obligate aerobes. The name of the phylum is named after the Greek god of the sea, Proteus, who is regarded as a god capable of assuming different shapes. This is because of the great diversity of forms of species belonging to this phylum.
The Proteobacteria have six taxonomic classes that were named with Greek letters:

  • Alphaproteobacteria (e.g. Brucella, Rhizobium, Agrobacterium, Rickettsia, etc.)
  • Betaproteobacteria (e.g. Bordetella, Neisseria, Nitrosomonas, etc.)
  • Gammaproteobacteria (e.g. Escherichia, Shigella, Salmonella, Yersinia, Pseudomonas, Vibrio, Haemophilus, etc.)
  • Deltaproteobacteria (e.g. Desulfovibrio, Geobacter, etc.)
  • Epsiolonproteobacteria (e.g. Helicobacer, Campylobacter, etc.)
  • Zetaproteobacteria (e.g. Mariprofundus sp.)

Scientific classification:

  • Domain: Bacteria
  • Phylum: Proteobacteria
  • Mentioned in:


    You will also like...

    Flowers and tiny fruits of the pomegranate plant
    Fruits, Flowers, and Seeds

    This tutorial deals with the structure and function of flowers, fruits, and seeds. Also included here are the types of f..

    An artist's depiction of the origin of amphibians
    Amphibians & Early Reptiles

    Obtaining air outside an aquatic environment required species to acquire suitable adaptations, and this was the case of ..

    Adaptive Radiation
    Adaptive Radiation

    The diversification of several new species from a recent ancestral source, each adapted to utilize or occupy a vacant ad..

    vitamins
    A Balanced Vitamin Diet – Vitamins A – K

    A balanced diet is essential to a healthy organism. Insufficiency or too much of a particular element or compound, such ..

    DNA carries genes coding for proteins
    Genetic Information and Protein Synthesis

    Genes are expressed through the process of protein synthesis. This elaborate tutorial provides an in-depth review of the..

    Chromosomes X and Y and Sex Determination
    Chromosomes X and Y and Sex Determination

    This tutorial looks at sex determination via the sex chromosomes, X and Y. Read it to get more info on X and Y chromosom..

    Related Articles...

    No related articles found

    See all Related Topics