Pre_GI: SWBIT SVG BLASTP

Query: NC_011833:31192 Buchnera aphidicola str. 5A (Acyrthosiphon pisum) chromosome,

Lineage: Buchnera aphidicola; Buchnera; Enterobacteriaceae; Enterobacteriales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria

General Information: This strain is found in the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum. Buchnera of A. pisum are the prime model of an obligate symbiosis. Aphid endosymbiont. Almost all aphids contain maternally transmitted bacteriocyte cells, which themselves contain bacteria called Buchnera. The aphids live on a restricted diet (plant sap), rich in carbohydrates, but poor in nitrogenous or other essential compounds. It is believed that the Buchnera provide the essential nutrients the host lacks. Besides a nutritional co-dependence, due to a co-existence of millions of years, Buchnera have lost the ability to produce cell surface components such as lipopolysaccharides. This makes for an obligate endosymbiont relationship between host and Buchnera. Buchnera are prokaryotic cells which belong to the gamma-Proteobacteria, closely related to the Enterobacteriaceae family. Phylogenetic studies using 16S rRNA indicate that the symbiotic relationship was established around 200-250 million years ago. Since Buchnera are closely related to Escherichia coli and Haemophilus influenzae, comparative genomic studies can shed light on the evolutionary mechanisms of intracellular endosymbiosis as well as the different underlying molecular basis between organisms with parasitic behavior and symbionts.

Subject: NC_020064:3157656 Serratia marcescens FGI94, complete genome

Lineage: Serratia marcescens; Serratia; Enterobacteriaceae; Enterobacteriales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria

General Information: This organism was discovered in 1819 by Bizio who named the organism after the Italian physicist Serrati. It was considered a nonpathogenic organism until late in the 20th century, although pathogenicity was noted as early as 1913. Serratia marcescens is an opportunistic human pathogen that is increasingly associated with life-threatening hospital-acquired infections. It is an environmental organism that has a broad host range, and is capable of infecting vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as plants. In humans, Serratia marcescens can cause meningitis (inflammation of the membrane surrounding the brain and spinal cord), endocarditis (inflammation of heart muscle) and pyelonephritis (inflammation of the kidneys). Many strains are resistant to multiple antibiotics. Environmental isolates are noted by production of the red pigment prodigiosin.