意大利的科學(xué)家日前稱，他們最近在羅馬的一座千年古墓中新發(fā)現(xiàn)了兩種極其罕見的細菌,。這兩種細菌此前人類從來沒有發(fā)現(xiàn)過,，對于研究生物進化史具有重要的意義。
在最新一期出版的《國際系統(tǒng)與進化微生物學(xué)》(IJSEM)雜志上,，意大利科學(xué)家公布了他們的這一最新發(fā)現(xiàn),。許多細菌生存于地下墓穴的墻壁之上，正是這些細菌導(dǎo)致了許多歷史建筑的腐朽和損壞,。近日,，意大利墨西拿大學(xué)科學(xué)家在對圣卡利斯督墓窟的考古過程中，在墓窟腐朽的墓壁表面發(fā)現(xiàn)了兩種新的微生物,。圣卡利斯督墓窟是一個位于羅馬占地37英畝的大型墓地的一部分,。墓窟建造于二世紀末期，以教皇卡利斯督一世的名字而命名,。歷代教宗,，自澤弗利諾起，至歐提基安止(除高爾內(nèi)略和加利斯督兩位教宗外),，共有30多位教皇或殉教者埋葬在該墓窟,。
科學(xué)家們從墓穴的綠銹中或墓壁涂層中分離出兩種新的細菌。新發(fā)現(xiàn)的細菌均是克里貝拉屬,，并被分別命名為克里貝拉-卡塔克姆貝(Kribbella catacumbae)和克里貝拉-?？颂峥ɡ固?Kribbella sancticallisti)?？死镓惱瓕兕愖钤绨l(fā)現(xiàn)于1999年,。
科學(xué)家希望通過對這兩種新細菌的研究,，能夠找到挽救古墓及其他歷史建筑的方法，從而避免歷史文化遺產(chǎn)被細菌腐蝕和破壞,。此外,，新物種的發(fā)現(xiàn)，也可以幫助人類進一步了解微生物的進化過程,。墨西拿大學(xué)科學(xué)家克萊拉-厄茲介紹,，“墓穴的特殊條件允許一些物種的單獨進化。實際上,，我們此次所發(fā)現(xiàn)的克里貝拉屬的兩個不同物種,，其標(biāo)本采集地之間距離非常接近。這表明,，在某種小環(huán)境中即使出現(xiàn)一點輕微的條件變化,，都有可能導(dǎo)致細菌分別向不同的方向進化。”
“誰要是干擾了法老的安寧,，死亡就會降臨到他的頭上”,。這是古埃及第十八王朝法老圖坦卡蒙國王的陵墓上鐫刻的墓志銘?？茖W(xué)家一直認為,，是墳?zāi)怪须[藏的病菌導(dǎo)致了進入者的死亡。1999年德國微生物學(xué)家哥特哈德-克拉默就曾在木乃伊身上發(fā)現(xiàn)了足以致命的細菌孢子(有的生物身體長成以后能產(chǎn)生一種細胞,，這種細胞不經(jīng)過兩兩結(jié)合,，就可以直接形成新個體，這種細胞叫孢子),，它在木乃伊身上可以寄居繁殖長達數(shù)個世紀之久,。在得知這一重大醫(yī)學(xué)發(fā)現(xiàn)之后,，埃及科學(xué)家哈瓦斯每次發(fā)掘陵墓時都要在墓室墻壁上鉆一個通氣孔,，等陵墓內(nèi)的腐敗空氣向外排放數(shù)小時之后再進入。由于經(jīng)驗豐富,，在過去30年職業(yè)生涯里,，哈瓦斯雖然屢屢“驚動法老神靈”，可時至今日他依然健在,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 58 (2008), 2090-2097; DOI 10.1099/ijs.0.65613-0
Kribbella catacumbae sp. nov. and Kribbella sancticallisti sp. nov., isolated from whitish-grey patinas in the catacombs of St Callistus in Rome, Italy
Clara Urzì1, Filomena De Leo1 and Peter Schumann2
1 Dept of Microbiological, Genetic and Molecular Sciences, University of Messina, Salita Sperone 31, I-98166 Messina, Italy
2 DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH, Inhoffenstrasse 7B, D-38124 Braunschweig, Germany
Several nocardioform actinomycetes were isolated from tufaceous surfaces with whitish-grey patinas in the catacombs of St Callistus in Rome, Italy. The morphology of the isolates and their chemotaxonomic characteristics such as LL-diaminopimelic acid in the cell-wallpeptidoglycan, the major menaquinone of MK-9(H4), phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol and diphosphatidylglycerol as the major polar lipids, as well as complex cellular fatty acid patterns with anteiso-C15 : 0, iso-C16 : 0 and iso-C15 : 0 as predominating components, were in agreement with their classification as members of the genus Kribbella by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The isolates fell into two clusters as revealed by their ribosomal intergenic spacer, RiboPrint and cellular fatty acid patterns and by their MALDI-TOF mass spectra. The two clusters were represented by the strains BC631T and BC633T which shared 97.9 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity. Strain BC631T represented a cluster of yellow pigmented strains and was a phylogenetic neighbour ofKribbella koreensis DSM 17837T (gene sequence similarity 98.0 %), while strain BC633T was related to Kribbella flavida DSM 17836T andKribbella karoonensis DSM 17344T (gene sequence similarities of 98.8 % and 98.6 %, respectively). Strains BC631T and BC633T could be differentiated from each other and from their closest phylogenetic neighbours by phenotypic characteristics and DNA–DNA relatednessvalues far below 70 %. It is concluded that the two new strains represent two novel species, for which the names Kribbella catacumbaesp. nov. (type strain BC631T=DSM 19601T=JCM 14968T) and Kribbella sancticallisti sp. nov. (type strain BC633T=DSM 19602T=JCM 14969T) are proposed.
