Query: NC_004757:427483 Nitrosomonas europaea ATCC 19718, complete genome
Lineage: Nitrosomonas europaea; Nitrosomonas; Nitrosomonadaceae; Nitrosomonadales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: Ammonia-oxidizing bacterium. This organism is an obligate chemo-lithoautotroph as it only uses ammonia and carbon dioxide and mineral salts for growth, and is an important part of the global biogeochemical nitrogen cycle. It can derive all energy requirements from the oxidation of ammonia to nitrate, driving global nitrogen from the reduced insoluble form to the oxidized and potentially gaseous form (including NO and NO2 which are greenhouse gases). The energy derived from ammonia oxidation is in turn used to drive carbon fixation. This bacterium also provides plants with a readily available form of nitrogen, is important in wastewater treatment, and may be involved in bioremediation of sites contaminated with toxic compounds.
Subject: NC_002946:1786000 Neisseria gonorrhoeae FA 1090, complete genome
Lineage: Neisseria gonorrhoeae; Neisseria; Neisseriaceae; Neisseriales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: A serum-resistant streptomycin-resistant proline-requiring strain isolated from a patient with disseminated gonococcal infections. Causes gonorrhea. One of two pathogenic Neisseria, this species causes the sexually transmitted disease (STD) gonorrhea, which is the leading reportable STD in adults in the USA. This human-specific organism colonizes and invades the mucosal surface of the urogenital epithelium, crosses the epithelial barrier, and ends up multiplying on the basement membrane. The Opa proteins are responsible for the opaque colony phenotype due to the tight junctions between adjacent Neisseria, and are also responsible for tight adherence to host cells. This organism, like Neisseria meningitidis, is also naturally competent for DNA uptake.