Query: NC_017068:130226 Selenomonas ruminantium subsp. lactilytica TAM6421, complete
Lineage: Selenomonas ruminantium; Selenomonas; Veillonellaceae; Selenomonadales; Firmicutes; Bacteria
General Information: This organism is a member of the normal flora of the sheep rumen. The genus Selenomonas constitutes a group of motile crescent-shaped bacteria and includes species living in the gastrointestinal tracts of animals, in particular, the Ruminants. Despite being Firmicutes they stain Gram-negative and possess a double bilayer. Cells are crescent or bean-shaped with coiled flagella located on the concave surface with an infolding of the cell membrane behind the flagellar attachment point.
Subject: NC_012560:582011 Azotobacter vinelandii DJ, complete genome
Lineage: Azotobacter vinelandii; Azotobacter; Pseudomonadaceae; Pseudomonadales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
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.