Haloplasma

{{Short description|Genus of bacteria}}

{{Italic title}}

{{Taxobox

| name = Haloplasma contractile

| domain = Bacteria

| phylum = Mycoplasmatota

| classis = Mollicutes

| ordo = Haloplasmatales

| ordo_authority = Rainey et al. 2008{{cite web |url=https://lpsn.dsmz.de/order/haloplasmatales |author=J. P. Euzéby |work=List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature |title=Order Haloplasmatales}}

| familia = Haloplasmataceae

| familia_authority = Rainey et al. 2008

| genus = Haloplasma

| genus_authority = Antunes et al. 2008

| type_species = Haloplasma contractile

| type_species_authority = Antunes et al. 2008

| subdivision_ranks = Species

| subdivision =

• H. contractile

}}

Haloplasma contractile is a halophilic, cell wall-less bacterium. It is the only known representative of a deep lineage, and is classified in its own family (Haloplasmataceae) and order (Haloplasmatales), in the class Mollicutes.{{cite journal |author1=André Antunes |author2=Fred A. Rainey |author3=Gerhard Wanner |author4=Marco Taborda |author5=Jürgen Pätzold |author6=M. Fernanda Nobre |author7=Milton S. da Costa |author8=Robert Huber |year=2008 |title=A new lineage of halophilic, wall-less, contractile bacteria from a brine-filled deep of the Red Sea |journal=Journal of Bacteriology |volume=190 |issue=10 |pages=3580–3587 |pmid=18326567 |doi=10.1128/JB.01860-07 |pmc=2394993 }}

In terms of genetics, the bacterium Haloplasma contractile contains a dcw gene cluster is responsible for containing all the genes of the organism and promoting peptidoglycan synthesis. Also, MreB/Mbl are specific homologous parts of this bacterium that are vital in the contractility of the cell. Regarding its physical attributes, this organism consists of a spherical body with approximately two protrusions which alternate between straight and contracted forms.