| Range |
diameter ≥0.2μm: volume 0.014 - 0.06 μm^3
|
| Organism |
bacteria |
| Reference |
Branko Velimirov, Nanobacteria, Ultramicrobacteria and Starvation Forms: A Search for the Smallest Metabolizing Bacterium, Microbes and Environments Vol. 16 (2001) No. 2 P 67-77 link Abstract & p.68 right column top paragraph |
| Primary Source |
Koch AL. What size should a bacterium be? A question of scale. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1996 50: 317-48 & Maniloff J. Nannobacteria: size limits and evidence. Science. 1997 Jun 20 276(5320):1776 author reply 1777. & Psenner R, Loferer M. Nannobacteria: size limits and evidence. Science. 1997 Jun 20 276(5320):1776-7 author reply 1777.PubMed ID8905083, 9206833, 9206835
|
| Comments |
"A bacterial cell which is growing and dividing needs to be large enough to accommodate DNA and RNA, enzymes for replication transcription and translation, solvent for substances as well as a minimum set of proteins and plasamtic space to run the operations. Many authors assume that this requires a cell with a diameter not smaller than 200 nm and with a volume between 0.014 and 0.06 µm^3...It seems that the general consensus concerning the minimum size enabling independent life for a cell is a volume of between 0.014 and 0.06µm^3 with a diameter ranging from 0.14 to 0.3µm (primary sources)." |
| Entered by |
Uri M |
| ID |
110080 |