Query: NC_003902:4989855 Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris str. ATCC 33913, complete
Lineage: Xanthomonas campestris; Xanthomonas; Xanthomonadaceae; Xanthomonadales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: This strain was originally isolated from cabbage. Causes black rot disease in crucifers. This genus consists of plant-specific yellow-pigmented microbes, some of which are economically important phytopathogens that devastate crops such as citrus plants, rice, beans, grape, and cotton. These organisms are almost exclusively found associated with their plant hosts and are not found free in the soil. This species is a major cause of black rot in crucifers, a disease that results in massive tissue degeneration. It also produces an extracellular polysaccharide known as xanthan, which is harvested commercially as a food stabilizing agent for use in industry.
Subject: NC_021150:2451500 Azotobacter vinelandii CA6, complete genome
Lineage: Azotobacter vinelandii; Azotobacter; Pseudomonadaceae; Pseudomonadales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
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.