Gottfriedia is a genus of gram-positive or Gram-variable rod-shaped bacteria in the family Bacillaceae within the order Bacillales.^[1][2] The type species for this genus is Gottfriedia luciferensis.^[3]

Members of Gottfriedia were transferred from the polyphyletic genus Bacillus, whose complicated interspecies taxonomy arose as a result of vague criteria used to assign novel bacteria into the genus.^[4] The extensive polyphyly of the genus has been recognized as an issue by the scientific community,^[5][6] resulting in the publication of multiple phylogenetic studies in an effort to clarify the taxonomy of this genus. As a result, Bacillus has been restricted only include species closely related to Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus cereus,^[7][1] and many species were transferred into novel genera such as Virgibacillus, Solibacillus, Brevibacillus and Ectobacillus.^{[8][9][10][1]}

The name Gottfriedia was chosen to celebrate the German scientist and naturalist Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg (1795–1876), who initially proposed the name Bacillus for rod-shaped and to recognize his contributions to the studies of microscopic organisms.^[1]

Biochemical Characteristics and Molecular Signatures

Source:^[1]

Members of the genus Gottfriedia are either aerobic or facultatively anaerobic. All species are endospore-forming and some are motile. Gottfriedia can survive in temperatures ranging from 15 to 45 °C (59 to 113 °F), but optimal growth occurs in the range of 30–40 °C (86–104 °F).

14 CSIs have been identified for this genus in the proteins ABC transporter substrate-binding protein, helicase-exonuclease subunit AddAB subunit AddA, MFS transporter, 3-oxoacid CoA-transferase subunit B, LTA synthase family protein, sulphate ABC transporter permease subunit CysW, class I SAM-dependent RNA methyltransferase, site-specific tyrosine recombinase XerD, 3-isopropylmalate dehydrogenase, 5-oxoprolinase subunit PxpB, MATE family efflux transporter, ABC transporter permease, MBL fold metallo-hydrolase and YitT family protein and is in most cases shared by all members of this genus.^[1] These molecular signatures were identified through analyses of genome sequences from Gottfriedia species and provide a reliable way to demarcate members of this genus from other Bacillaceae genera and bacteria.

Taxonomy

As of May 2021, there are a total of three species with validly published names in the genus Gottfriedia.^[3] Members of this clade are found to form a monophyletic branch in various phylogenetic trees created based on concatenated sequences from various datasets of conserved proteins and 16S ribosomal RNA genome sequences.^[1] The branching pattern of this clade is also reflected in the Genome Taxonomy Database.^[11]

References