Vibrio campbellii

Biology

Quorum sensing allows the bacterium to communicate with autoinducers, a chemical signaling molecule that is secreted. Some strains of V. campellii are known to be not luminescent; these strains are thought to be less virulent than the luminescent strains. Bioluminescence in bacteria is due to the reaction:

FMNH− + H+ + RCHO + O₂ → FMN + RCOOH + H₂O + hν

and is catalyzed by the enzyme luciferase. A new luciferase was isolated from V. campbellii (Lux_Vc) and is similar to that of the Lux_Vh found in V. harveyi, but is more thermodynamically stable due to the binding of reduced FMN.

The V. campbellii strains PEL22A, BAA-1116, AND4 are known to be mixotrophic or more specifically photo(organo)heterotrophic. This is considered a rare phenotype in Vibrio and is thought to be caused by their exploitation of lateral gene transfer during adaptation.