Query: NC_011420:69843 Rhodospirillum centenum SW, complete genome Lineage: Rhodospirillum centenum; Rhodospirillum; Rhodospirillaceae; Rhodospirillales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria General Information: Rhodospirillum centenum, also called Rhodocista centenaria, is a nitrogen-fixing photoheterotroph with a complex life cycle. R. centenum is one of the few known thermotolerant purple bacteria species with optimal growth temperature of 44 dgrees C and a maximal growth temperature of 48 degrees C. In liquid media this organism is motile by a single polar flagellum. R. centenum produces lateral flagella to become a swarming cell. Under low nutrient conditions R. centenum forms a desiccation- and UV-resistant cyst. R. centenum can often be cultivated from hot springs such as those found at Yellowstone National Park. R. centenum is emerging as a model organism for genetic and molecular genetic analysis of cyst formation.
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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.