Query: NC_002932:296557 Chlorobium tepidum TLS, complete genome Lineage: Chlorobaculum tepidum; Chlorobaculum; Chlorobiaceae; Chlorobiales; Chlorobi; Bacteria General Information: This green-sulfur bacterium is a thermophile and was isolated from a New Zealand high-sulfide hot spring. Photosynthetic thermophile. Chlorobium tepidum is a member of the green-sulfur bacteria. It has been suggested that the green-sulfur bacteria were among the first photosynthetic organisms since they are anaerobically photosynthetic and may have arisen early in the Earth's history when there was a limited amount of oxygen present. This organism utilizes a novel photosynthetic system, and harvests light energy using an unusual organelle, the chlorosome, which contains an aggregate of light-harvesting centers surrounded by a protein-stabilized galactolipid monolayer that lies at the inner surface of the cytoplasmic membrane. Unlike many other photosynthetic organisms, the green-sulfur bacteria do not produce oxygen and tolerate only low levels of the molecule. This organism also fixes carbon dioxide via a reverse tricarboxylic acid cycle, using electrons derived from hydrogen or reduced sulfur to drive the reaction, instead of via the Calvin cycle like many other photosynthetic organisms.
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General Information: This organism was first isolated from the soil in Vineland, New Jersey, although it is found worldwide. It is a large obligate aerobe that has one of the highest respiratory rates of any organism. Azotobacter vinelandii also produces a number of unusual nitrogenases which allow it to fix atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia, a compound it can then use as a nitrogen source. It protects the oxygen-sensitive nitrogenase enzymes through its high respiratory rate, which sequesters the nitrogenase complexes in an anoxic environment. This organism has a number of unusual characteristics. Under extreme environmental conditions, the cell will produce a cyst that is resistant to dessication and is surrounded by two capsular polysaccharide layers. This organism produces two industrially important polysaccharides, poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) and alginate. PHB is a thermoplastic biopolymer, and alginate is used in the food industry. Alginate is also used by the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa to infect the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients.