Query: NC_009720:1006201 Xanthobacter autotrophicus Py2, complete genome Lineage: Xanthobacter autotrophicus; Xanthobacter; Xanthobacteraceae; Rhizobiales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria General Information: Alkene-degrading bacterium. Xanthobacter autotrophicus is a nitrogen-fixing methylotroph, commonly isolated from organic rich soil, sediment and water. This organism uses an alkene-specific monooxygenase to convert propene to epoxypropane. This monooxygenase is also able to catalyze the initial step in the cometabolism of chlorinated alkenes such as vinyl chloride and trichloroethene. The Xanthobacter autotrophicus alkene monooxygenase and other genes involved in alkene degradation are located on a 320 kb megaplasmid.
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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.