Query: NC_009953:3552738 Salinispora arenicola CNS-205 chromosome, complete genome
Lineage: Salinispora arenicola; Salinispora; Micromonosporaceae; Actinomycetales; Actinobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: Found in marine sediment, this organism produces cancer-fighting compounds. Salinispora strains are commonly isolated from tropical marine sediment. Members of this genus produce branched hyphae and require media which contain seawater or sodium. A survey of the cultured species identified over 90 isolates which produce compounds that inhibited cancer cells. These organisms may be a new source of bioactive chemicals for use in disease and cancer treatments. Salinispora arenicola produces the bioactive compounds staurosporine and rifamycin which may be useful in the treatment of cancer.
Subject: NC_006322:1994000 Bacillus licheniformis ATCC 14580, complete genome
Lineage: Bacillus licheniformis; Bacillus; Bacillaceae; Bacillales; Firmicutes; Bacteria
General Information: Industrially important bacterium. Under starvation conditions this group of bacteria initiate a pathway that leads to endospore formation, a process that is thoroughly studied and is a model system for prokaryotic development and differentiation. Spores are highly resistant to heat, cold, dessication, radiation, and disinfectants, and enable the organism to persist in otherwise inhospitable environments. Under more inviting conditions the spores germinate to produce vegetative cells. This organism is a soil-dwelling endospore-forming microbe similar to other Bacilli. This bacterium is used extensively in the industrial production of important enzymes such as proteases, penicllinases, and amylases as well as smaller compounds like the antibiotic bacitracin and various organic metabolites. This organism is closely related to Bacillus subtilis on the basis of rRNA typing, and it has been found to occasionally cause illness in humans.