Isolation of a member of the candidate phylum ‘Atribacteria’ reveals a unique cell membrane structure

Abstract

A key feature that differentiates prokaryotic cells from eukaryotes is the absence of an intracellular membrane surrounding the chromosomal DNA. Here, the authors isolate a member of the ubiquitous, yet-to-be-cultivated bacterial phylum ‘Candidatus Atribacteria’ that has an intracytoplasmic membrane apparently surrounding the nucleoid.