Query: NC_009465:29735 Candidatus Vesicomyosocius okutanii HA, complete genome Lineage: Calyptogena okutanii thioautotrophic gill symbiont; sulfur-oxidizing symbionts; ; sulfur-oxidizing symbionts; Proteobacteria; Bacteria General Information: This strain was collected off Hatsushima island in Sagami Bay, Japan. Calyptogena okutanii (deep-sea clam) thioautotrophic gill symbiont. The bivalve marine species Calyptogena okutanii depends on sulfur-oxidizing symbiotic bacteria housed in its gill tissues for its sole nutritional support. The symbiont is transmitted vertically between generations via the clam's eggs. This anaerobic symbiosis oxidizes hydrogen sulfide as an energy source and fixes carbon dioxide into organic compounds.
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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.