Query: NC_012808:806432 Methylobacterium extorquens AM1, complete genome
Lineage: Methylobacterium extorquens; Methylobacterium; Methylobacteriaceae; Rhizobiales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: First isolated in 1960 in Oxford, England, as an airborne contaminant growing on methylamine. This strain can grow on methylamine or methanol, but not methane. This organism is capable of growth on one-carbon compounds such as methanol. Methanol is oxidized to formaldehyde which is then used metabolically to generate either energy or biomass. These bacteria are commonly found in the environment, especially associated with plants which produce methanol when metabolizing pectin during cell wall synthesis. At least 25 genes are required for this complex process of converting methanol to formaldehyde and this specialized metabolic pathway is of great interest.
Subject: NC_008570:2768795 Aeromonas hydrophila subsp. hydrophila ATCC 7966, complete genome
Lineage: Aeromonas hydrophila; Aeromonas; Aeromonadaceae; Aeromonadales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: Isolated from canned milk from the USA. Aquatic organism that can cause foodborne illnesses in humans. This organism is an enviromental bacterium that is often found in aquatic habitats, but can also be found contaminating food products. It causes a variety of diseases in both cold-blooded and warm-blooded organisms. The bacterium is becoming a problematic pathogen in humans, where it causes gastroenteritis and septicemia, mainly due to the development of antibiotic resistance by this organism. One of the major virulence factors is aerolysin, a toxin that is produced and secreted by the cell via a type II secretion apparatus. Other virulence functions include a surface layer which inhibits complement-mediated killing, type IV pili for attachment, and a set of extracellular proteases which can cause tissue damage.