Query: NC_008260:2021162 Alcanivorax borkumensis SK2, complete genome Lineage: Alcanivorax borkumensis; Alcanivorax; Alcanivoracaceae; Oceanospirillales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria General Information: This bacterium was isolated from a seawater sediment sample in the North Sea. The species is able to use Mihagol-S (C14,15-n-alkanes) as a principal carbon source. Using n-alkanes as a sole carbon source causes the strains to produce extracellular and membrane-bound surface-active glucose lipids. Phenotypic analysis showed a restricted nutritional profile, high halotolerance, the absence of fermentative metabolism, and a low G+C content. This, in combination with a 16S phylogenetic study, allowed the placing of this organism into a new genus.
- Sequence; - BLASTN hit (Low score = Light, High score = Dark) - hypothetical protein; - cds: hover for description
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.