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Three Genomes from the Phylum Acidobacteria Provide Insight into the Lifestyles of These Microorganisms in Soils

The complete genomes of three strains from the phylum Acidobacteria were compared. Phylogenetic analysis placed them as a unique phylum. They share genomic traits with members of the Proteobacteria, the Cyanobacteria, and the Fungi. The three strains appear to be versatile heterotrophs. Genomic and culture traits indicate the use of carbon sources that span simple… [Read More]

A perspective: Metatranscriptomics as a tool for the discovery of novel biocatalysts

In this mini-review, advantages and current bottlenecks of metatranscriptomic-sequencing for the discovery of novel enzymes for biotechnological applications will be discussed. Comparison of this innovative approach to traditional metagenomic-sequencing will illustrate that expression profiling has a promising future as a direct and very efficient method for the discovery of novel biocatalysts, even from complex microbial… [Read More]

Analysis of Ten Brucella Genomes Reveals Evidence for Horizontal Gene Transfer Despite a Preferred Intracellular Lifestyle

The facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen Brucella infects a wide range of warm-blooded land and marine vertebrates and causes brucellosis. Currently, there are nine recognized Brucella species based on host preferences and phenotypic differences. The availability of 10 different genomes consisting of two chromosomes and representing six of the species allowed for a detailed comparison among… [Read More]

Green evolution and dynamic adaptations revealed by genomes of the marine picoeukaryotes Micromonas

Picoeukaryotes are a taxonomically diverse group of organisms less than 2 micrometers in diameter. Photosynthetic marine picoeukaryotes in the genus Micromonas thrive in ecosystems ranging from tropical to polar and could serve as sentinel organisms for biogeochemical fluxes of modern oceans during climate change. These broadly distributed primary producers belong to an anciently diverged sister… [Read More]

Environmental distribution and population biology of Candidatus Accumulibacter, a primary agent of biological phosphorus removal

Members of the uncultured bacterial genus Candidatus Accumulibacter are capable of intracellular accumulation of inorganic phosphate in activated sludge wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) performing enhanced biological phosphorus removal, but were also recently shown to inhabit freshwater and estuarine sediments. Additionally, metagenomic sequencing of two bioreactor cultures enriched in Candidatus Accumulibacter, but housed on separate continents,… [Read More]

The complete genome sequence of Moorella thermoacetica (f. Clostridium thermoaceticum)

This paper describes the genome sequence of Moorella thermoacetica (f. Clostridium thermoaceticum), which is the model acetogenic bacterium that has been widely used for elucidating the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway of CO and CO(2) fixation. This pathway, which is also known as the reductive acetyl-CoA pathway, allows acetogenic (often called homoacetogenic) bacteria to convert glucose stoichiometrically into… [Read More]

A genomic analysis of the archaeal system Ignicoccus hospitalis-Nanoarchaeum equitans

BACKGROUND: The relationship between the hyperthermophiles Ignicoccus hospitalis and Nanoarchaeum equitans is the only known example of a specific association between two species of Archaea. Little is known about the mechanisms that enable this relationship. RESULTS: We sequenced the complete genome of I. hospitalis and found it to be the smallest among independent, free-living organisms…. [Read More]

Complete genome sequence of Jonesia denitrificans type strain (Prevot 55134)

Jonesia denitrificans (Prevot 1961) Rocourt et al. 1987 is the type species of the genus Jonesia, and is of phylogenetic interest because of its isolated location in the actinobacterial suborder Micrococcineae. J. denitrificans is characterized by a typical coryneform morphology and is able to form irregular nonsporulating rods showing branched and club-like forms. Coccoid cells… [Read More]

Complete genome sequence of Slackia heliotrinireducens type strain (RHS 1)

Slackia heliotrinireducens (Lanigan 1983) Wade et al. 1999 is of phylogenetic interest because of its location in a genomically yet uncharted section of the family Coriobacteriaceae, within the deep branching Actinobacteria. Strain RHS 1(T) was originally isolated from the ruminal flora of a sheep. It is a proteolytic anaerobic coccus, able to reductively cleave pyrrolizidine… [Read More]

Obtaining comparative genomic data with the VISTA family of computational tools

Comparison of DNA sequences from different species is a fundamental method for identifying functional elements, such as exons or enhancers, as they tend to exhibit significant sequence similarity due to purifying selection. Availability of whole-genome sequences for a constantly growing number of organisms makes identification of such elements within these genomes possible. There are two… [Read More]