Pre_GI: SWBIT SVG BLASTN

Query: NC_017208:1 Bacillus thuringiensis serovar chinensis CT-43 chromosome, complete

Lineage: Bacillus thuringiensis; Bacillus; Bacillaceae; Bacillales; Firmicutes; Bacteria

General Information: This organism, also known as BT, is famous for the production of an insecticidal toxin. The bacterium was initially discovered as a pathogen of various insects and was first used as an insecticidal agent in the early part of this century. This organism, like many other Bacilli, is found in the soil, where it leads a saprophytic existence, but becomes an opportunistic pathogen of insects when ingested. The specific activity of the toxin towards insects and its lack of toxicity to animals has made this organism a useful biocontrol agent. The delta-endotoxin, which is produced during the sporulation part of the life cycle, causes midgut paralysis and disruption of feeding by the infected insect host. The delta-endotoxin, which is produced during the sporulation part of the life cycle, causes midgut paralysis and disruption of feeding by the infected insect host. The delta-endotoxin, which is produced during the sporulation part of the life cycle, causes midgut paralysis and disruption of feeding by the infected insect host. The presence of a parasporal crystal, which is outside the exosporium of the endospore, is indicative of production of the toxin, and serves as a marker for this species.Activation of the toxin typically requires a high pH environment such as the alkaline environments in insect midguts followed by proteolysis.

Subject: NC_013890:808791 Dehalococcoides sp. GT chromosome, complete genome

Lineage: Dehalococcoides mccartyi; Dehalococcoides; Dehalococcoidaceae; Dehalococcoidales; Chloroflexi; Bacteria

General Information: Temp: Mesophile; Habitat: Fresh water, Groundwater. Dehalococcoides sp. GT was isolated from an chloroethene-contaminated aquifer. This strain can dechlorinate trichloroethene and vinyl chloride. This organism was isolated from environments contaminated with organic chlorinated chemicals such as tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethane (TCE), common contaminants in the anaerobic subsurface. There are at least 15 organisms from different metabolic groups, halorespirators, acetogens, methanogens and facultative anaerobes, that are able to metabolize PCE. Some of these organisms couple dehalogenation to energy conservation and utilize PCE as the only source of energy while others dehalogenate tetrachloroethene fortuitously. This non-methanogenic, non-acetogenic culture is able to grow with hydrogen as the electron donor, indicating that hydrogen/PCE serves as an electron donor/acceptor for energy conservation and growth. This organism can only grow anaerobically in the presence of hydrogen as an electron donor and chlorinated compounds as electron acceptors. Dehalococcoides ethenogenes is typically found at sites contaminated with chlorinated solvents, and have been independently isolated in dozens of sites across the USA.