Query: NC_011059:1 Prosthecochloris aestuarii DSM 271, complete genome
Lineage: Prosthecochloris aestuarii; Prosthecochloris; Chlorobiaceae; Chlorobiales; Chlorobi; Bacteria
General Information: This species is a green sulfur bacterium which forms sedimentary biofilm layers. It has been shown to be associated with coral killed by Black-Band Disease (BBD) a microbial infection of larger coral species. This is a concern for reef conservationists as the larger species are responsible for coral scaffolds, and their reduction by disease would have considerable impact on the reef structure. While there is currently no cause-and-effect link between Prosthecochloris aestuarii and BBD, the species was found on coral which was killed by the disease and was not found on healthy coral or in the surrounding seawater.
Subject: NC_002932:2142000 Chlorobium tepidum TLS, complete genome
Lineage: Chlorobaculum tepidum; Chlorobaculum; Chlorobiaceae; Chlorobiales; Chlorobi; Bacteria
General Information: This green-sulfur bacterium is a thermophile and was isolated from a New Zealand high-sulfide hot spring. Photosynthetic thermophile. Chlorobium tepidum is a member of the green-sulfur bacteria. It has been suggested that the green-sulfur bacteria were among the first photosynthetic organisms since they are anaerobically photosynthetic and may have arisen early in the Earth's history when there was a limited amount of oxygen present. This organism utilizes a novel photosynthetic system, and harvests light energy using an unusual organelle, the chlorosome, which contains an aggregate of light-harvesting centers surrounded by a protein-stabilized galactolipid monolayer that lies at the inner surface of the cytoplasmic membrane. Unlike many other photosynthetic organisms, the green-sulfur bacteria do not produce oxygen and tolerate only low levels of the molecule. This organism also fixes carbon dioxide via a reverse tricarboxylic acid cycle, using electrons derived from hydrogen or reduced sulfur to drive the reaction, instead of via the Calvin cycle like many other photosynthetic organisms.