Query: NC_012881:2957309 Desulfovibrio salexigens DSM 2638, complete genome
Lineage: Desulfovibrio salexigens; Desulfovibrio; Desulfovibrionaceae; Desulfovibrionales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: Isolation: mud in British Guyana; Temp: Mesophile; Temp: 37 C; Habitat: Mud. Desulfovibrio are sulfate-reducing bacteria which reduce sulfate to sulfide found in soil, freshwater, saltwater and the intestinal tract of animals. These organisms typically grow anaerobically, although some can tolerate oxygen, and they utilize a wide variety of electron acceptors, including sulfate, sulfur, nitrate, and nitrite, as well as others. A number of toxic metals are reduced, including uranium (VI), chromium (VI) and iron (III), making these organisms of interest as bioremediators. These organisms are responsible for the production of poisonous hydrogen sulfide gas in marine sediments and in terrestrial environments such as drilling sites for petroleum products.
Subject: NC_016047:261304 Bacillus subtilis subsp. spizizenii TU-B-10 chromosome, complete
Lineage: Bacillus subtilis; Bacillus; Bacillaceae; Bacillales; Firmicutes; Bacteria
General Information: This organism was one of the first bacteria studied, and was named Vibrio subtilis in 1835 and renamed Bacillus subtilis in 1872. It is one of the most well characterized bacterial organisms, and is a model system for cell differentiation and development. This soil bacterium can divide asymmetrically, producing an endospore that is resistant to environmental factors such as heat, acid, and salt, and which can persist in the environment for long periods of time. The endospore is formed at times of nutritional stress, allowing the organism to persist in the environment until conditions become favorable. Prior to the decision to produce the spore the bacterium might become motile, through the production of flagella, and also take up DNA from the environment through the competence system. The sporulation process is complex and involves the coordinated regulation of hundreds of genes in the genome. This initial step results in the coordinated asymmetric cellular division and endospore formation through multiple stages that produces a single spore from the mother cell.