Query: NC_008782:401667 Acidovorax sp. JS42, complete genome
Lineage: Acidovorax; Acidovorax; Comamonadaceae; Burkholderiales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: Acidovorax sp. JS42, formerly Pseudomonas sp. JS42, was isolated from nitrobenzene-contaminated sediment and is capable of using 2-nitrotolulene as a sole carbon and energy source. 2-nitrotolulene, a nitroaromatic compound, is used in the manufacture of dyes, pigments and explosives. Nitroaromatic compounds, which contain an aromatic ring with one or more nitro groups attached, are a significant contaminant in industrial soils. Acidovorax sp. JS42 degrades 2-nitrotolulene by first removing the nitro moiety producing 3-methylcatechol. The enzyme involved in this process, 2-nitrotolulene dioxygenase, has been purified and characterized.
Subject: NC_008710:621822 Borrelia turicatae 91E135, complete genome
Lineage: Borrelia turicatae; Borrelia; Spirochaetaceae; Spirochaetales; Spirochaetes; Bacteria
General Information: This strain was isolated in the USA from the soft tick Ornithodoros turicatae. Borrelia turicatae is the causative agent of tick-borne relapsing fever in the southwestern USA. Ticks become infected with Borrelia while feeding on an infected mammal, usually a rodent or squirrel. Borrelia then multiplies rapidly, causing a generalized infection throughout the tick. While feeding, the tick passes the spirochete into a mammalian host through its infectious saliva. Relapsing fever is characterized by period of chills, fever, headache, and malaise, followed by an asymptomatic, followed by another episode of symptoms. The cycle of relapsing is due to changes in the surface proteins of Borrelia, which allow it to avoid detection and removal by the host immune system. This antigenic variation is the result of homologous recombination of silent proteins into an expressed locus, causing partial or complete replacement of one serotype with another. These plasmids carry genes involved in antigenic variation and pathogenicity.