Unusual Bacteria Found in Deep-Sea Coral

Scientists have discovered two new species of bacteria, Oceanoplasma callogorgiae and Thalassoplasma callogorgiae, in deep-sea coral in the Gulf of Mexico. These mollicutes have extremely small genomes, with only 359 and 385 protein-encoding genes, compared to the average bacterium's 3,000. They survive symbiotically in the coral's mesoglea, obtaining energy from an amino acid rather than carbohydrates. The discovery highlights the minimal genetic requirements for cellular life and introduces a new bacterial family, Oceanoplasmataceae.