Query: NC_008260:1015447 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.
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General Information: This red-pigmented organism's name means "strange berry that withstands radiation", marking the fact that this organism is one of the most radiation-resistant known. It can tolerate radiation levels at 1000 times the levels that would kill a human and it was originally isolated in 1956 from a can of meat that had been irradiated with X-rays. The resistance to radiation may reflect its resistance to dessication, which also causes DNA damage. This organism may be of use in cleaning up toxic metals found at nuclear weapons production sites due to the radiation resistance. This bacterium is also a highly efficient transformer, and can readily take up exogenous DNA from the environment, which may also aid DNA repair. This organism carries multiple copies of many DNA repair genes, suggesting a robust system for dealing with DNA damage. The recombination system may rely on multiple copies of various repeat elements found throughout the genome.