Query: NC_005303:272915 Onion yellows phytoplasma OY-M, complete genome
Lineage: Onion yellows phytoplasma; Phytoplasma; Acholeplasmataceae; Acholeplasmatales; Tenericutes; Bacteria
General Information: This strain (OY-M) is derived from a wild-type disease-causing strain (OY-W; onions yellow disease) which was isolated in Saga Prefecture, Japan, in 1982, and shows mild symptoms and does not cause stunting nor phloem hyperplasia (excessive increase in number of cells). Plant pathogenic bacterium. Phytoplasmas inhabit phloem (food-conducting vascular tissue) sieve elements of plants where they cause a variety of diseases. There is great interest in sequencing these organisms since they are currently unculturable and examination of the genome may lead to methods to deal with the diseases they cause including the development of antimicrobial agents. There is great interest in sequencing these organisms since they are currently unculturable and examination of the genome may lead to methods to deal with the diseases they cause including the development of antimicrobial agents.
Subject: NC_001263:243000 Deinococcus radiodurans R1 chromosome 1, complete sequence
Lineage: Deinococcus radiodurans; Deinococcus; Deinococcaceae; Deinococcales; Deinococcus-Thermus; Bacteria
General Information: This red-pigmented organism's name means "strange berry that withstands radiation", marking the fact that this organism is one of the most radiation-resistant known. It can tolerate radiation levels at 1000 times the levels that would kill a human and it was originally isolated in 1956 from a can of meat that had been irradiated with X-rays. The resistance to radiation may reflect its resistance to dessication, which also causes DNA damage. This organism may be of use in cleaning up toxic metals found at nuclear weapons production sites due to the radiation resistance. This bacterium is also a highly efficient transformer, and can readily take up exogenous DNA from the environment, which may also aid DNA repair. This organism carries multiple copies of many DNA repair genes, suggesting a robust system for dealing with DNA damage. The recombination system may rely on multiple copies of various repeat elements found throughout the genome.