Query: NC_008435:854576 Rhodopseudomonas palustris BisA53, complete genome
Lineage: Rhodopseudomonas palustris; Rhodopseudomonas; Bradyrhizobiaceae; Rhizobiales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: Four different strains were isolated from 2 sites, one pristine and one polluted. Environmental bacterium with potential use in bioremediation. This organism has a diverse metabolism and is capable of growth using light, inorganic, or organic compounds as energy sources and carbon dioxide or organic compounds as carbon sources. Commonly found in soil and water environments this bacterium is also capable of degrading a wide range of toxic organic compounds, and may be of use in bioremediation of polluted sites. The bacterium undergoes differentiation to produce a stalked nonmotile cell and a motile flagellated cell. In the presence of light, this bacterium produces a number of intracellular membranous vesicles to house the photosynthetic reaction centers.
Subject: NC_004061:540354 Buchnera aphidicola str. Sg (Schizaphis graminum), complete genome
Lineage: Buchnera aphidicola; Buchnera; Enterobacteriaceae; Enterobacteriales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: This strain is the symbiont of the aphid Schizaphis graminum and contains a large circular chromosome. Aphid endosymbiont. Almost all aphids contain maternally transmitted bacteriocyte cells, which themselves contain bacteria called Buchnera. The aphids live on a restricted diet (plant sap), rich in carbohydrates, but poor in nitrogenous or other essential compounds. It is believed that the Buchnera provide the essential nutrients the host lacks. Besides a nutritional co-dependence, due to a co-existence of millions of years, Buchnera have lost the ability to produce cell surface components such as lipopolysaccharides. This makes for an obligate endosymbiont relationship between host and Buchnera. Buchnera are prokaryotic cells which belong to the gamma-Proteobacteria, closely related to the Enterobacteriaceae family. Phylogenetic studies using 16S rRNA indicate that the symbiotic relationship was established around 200-250 million years ago. Since Buchnera are closely related to Escherichia coli and Haemophilus influenzae, comparative genomic studies can shed light on the evolutionary mechanisms of intracellular endosymbiosis as well as the different underlying molecular basis between organisms with parasitic behavior and symbionts.