Soil Sample Research Project
Classification
Domain; Phylum; Class; Order; family [Others may be used. Use NCBI link to find]
Domain: Bacteria Division/phylum: Firmicutes Class: Bacilli Order: Bacillales Family: Bacillaceae Genus: Bacillus Species: B. safensis
[3]
Genus
Bacillus safensis
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NCBI: Taxonomy |
Habitat Information
The soil was collected from a flower bed in an Austin TX residential neighborgood on January 29, 2014 at 1030am. The flower bed is west facing with very little sunlight as it is shaded by a structure. Location: 30degree14'05"N 97degree44'01"W. Humidity 78 percent.Temperature 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Pressure 29.83in. Elevation at 613 feet. Sky is overcast. No precipitation in the last 24 hours.
Description and Significance
Bacillus safensis is a gram-positive, aerobic, mesophilic, and rod bacterium. It is aerobic and highly resistant to UV and gamma rays. It is also a spore forming chemoheterotroph. It was first discovered in California and Florida on spacecraft and so is believed to have been brought to the USA from Mars. There are numerous strains of this bacterium, everyone belonging to the Firmicutes phylum of Bacteria. This organism is significant because it can tell us a bit about other planets and also how the bacteria spreads. It is also resistant to UV rays, gamma rays and is highly salt resistant, therefore it makes for a great plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria. [1][2]
Cell shape: rod. Cell size: ranges from 0.5-0.7 μm in diameter and 1.0-1.2 μm in length. Cell movement: motile, and use polar flagella for locomotion. [1]
Colony characteristics: dull white, undulate round, non-luminescent with irregular borders. Growth: mesophillic, as they can grow in temperatures ranging between 10-50 °C. Salt tolerance: prefers 0-10% salt, and a pH of 4-8. Resistances: produce spores that are resistant to hydrogen peroxide and UV radiation. [1][2]
Bacillus safensis is sensitive to the antibiotic Optichen. Optichen is most commonly used to rule out Streptococcus pneumoniae and not commonly used for bacillus safensis. [1]
Genome Structure
Bacillus safensis is a circular chromosome of 3.68 Mb, with approximately 3928 protein coding sequences and 39 contigs/overlapping DNA fragments greater than 200 base pairs in size. The genome also displays 73 tRNA genes. The strain FO-036b shows a guanine-cytosine content of 41.0-41.4 mol%.[1][2]
Sequence 1 Sample Patch MR#1 5' bases trimmed: 18 3' bases trimmed: 4 Max score 1266, 98% query cover 100% identification CACGCCGCGTGAGTGATGAAGGTTTTCG GATCNTAAAGCTCTGTTGTTAGGGAAGAACAAGTACGAGAGTAACTGCTCGTACCTTGACGGTACCTAACCAGAAAGCCA CGGCTAACTACGTGCCAGCAGCCGCGGTAATACGTAGGTGGCAAGCGTTGTCCGGAATTATTGGGCGTAAAGGGCTCGCA GGCGGTTTCTTAAGTCTGATGTGAAAGCCCCCGGCTCAACCGGGGAAGGTCATTGGAAACTGGGGAACTTGAGTGCAGAA GAGGAGAGTGGAATTCCACGTGTAGCGGTGAAATGCGTAGAGATGTGGAGGAACACCAGTGGCGAAGGCGACTCTCTGGT CTGTAACTGACGCTGAGGAGCGAAAGCGTGGGGAGCGAACAGGATTAGATACCCTGGTAGTCCACGCCGTAAACGATGAG TGCTAAGTGTTAGGGGGTTTCCGCCCCTTAGTGCTGCAGCTAACGCATTAAGCACTCCGCCTGGGGAGTACGGTCGCAAG ACTGAAACTCAAAGGAATTGACGGGGGCCCGCACAAGCGGTGGAGCATGTGGTTTAATTCGAAGCAACGCGAAGAACCTT ACCAGGTCTTGACATCCTCTGACAACCCTAGAGATAGGGCTTTCCCTTCGGGGACAGAGTGACAGGTGGTGCATGGTTGT CGTCAGCTCGTGCCGTGAGATGTCATAGC
Sequence 2
Sample Patch MR#2
5' bases trimmed: 15
3' bases trimmed: 11
Max score 1256, 100% query cover, 99% identification
GAAGGGAAAGCCCTATCTCTAGGGTTGTCAGAGGA
TGTCAAGACCTGGTAAGGTTCTTCGCGTTGCTTCGAATTAAACCACATGCTCCACCGCTTGTGCGGGCCCCCGTCAATTC
CTTTGAGTTTCAGTCTTGCGACCGTACTCCCCAGGCGGAGTGCTTAATGCGTTAGCTGCAGCACTAAGGGGCGGAAACCC
CCTAACACTTAGCACTCATCGTTTACGGCGTGGACTACCAGGGTATCTAATCCTGTTCGCTCCCCACGCTTTCGCTCCTC
AGCGTCAGTTACAGACCAGAGAGTCGCCTTCGCCACTGGTGTTCCTCCACATCTCTACGCATTTCACCGCTACACGTGGA
ATTCCACTCTCCTCTTCTGCACTCAAGTTCCCCAGTTTCCAATGACCTTCCCCGGTTGAGCCGGGGGCTTTCACATCAGA
CTTAAGAAACCGCCTGCGAGCCCTTTACGCCCAATAATTCCGGACAACGCTTGCCACCTACGTATTACCGCGGCTGCTGG
CACGTAGTTAGCCGTGGCTTTCTGGTTAGGTACCGTCAAGGTACGAGCAGTTACTCTCGTACTTGTTCTTCCCTAACAAC
AGAGCTTTACGATCCGAAAACCTTCATCACTCACGCGGCGTTGCTCCGTCAGACTTTCGTCCATTGCGGAAGATTCCCTA
Cell Structure, Metabolism and Life Cycle
Growth: mesophillic, as they can grow in temperatures ranging between 10-50 °C. Salt tolerance: prefers 0-10% salt, and a pH of 4-8. Resistances: produce spores that are resistant to hydrogen peroxide and UV radiation. [1][2]
Positive for oxidase and catalase, Vogues-Proskauer Negative for trypsin, mannitol, indole, amylase, DNase, urease, trypsin, tryptophan deaminase, phenylalanine deaminase, arginine dihydrolase, lysine decarboxylase and ornithine decarboxylase. Cells do not reduce nitrate, but do hydrolyse gelatin, aesculin and RNA. Negative for gas production from D-glucose. Acid is produced from D-glucose, glycerol, L-arabinose, ribose, D-xylose, galactose [2]
Strain VK also contains genes that encode for 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase enzyme which enables the plant to tolerate salt, heavy metals, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Because it is so tolerant, Bacillus safensis VK is a powerful plant hormone producer. [2]
Bacillus safensis bacteria are non-pathogenic and are usually more helpful than harmful. The downside they present is that they can contaminate clean rooms (like NASA), where they can confuse test results. Certain strains are used on plants as way to stimulate root growth. Others are used to digest lipase. [2]
Because some strains of Bacillus safensis are resistant to UV rays, gamma rays and is highly salt resistant, it makes for a great plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria. This is very important in agriculture and crop health. Rhizobacteris is found on the root of the cumin plant. [2]
Thirteen strains of Bacillus were isolated from the Mars Odyssey Orbiter surfaces and assembly-facility surfaces at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 165 rRNA and gyrB gene sequences were tested phylogenetically and with PCR fingerprinting and DNA hybrization. The 13 isolates represent genus Bacillus, for which Bacillus safensis is suspected. [2]
Scientist Ram S. Singh and colleagues from the Punjabi University in India discovered one of the strains of Bacillus safensis to have unulase activity which is used for the production of high fructose corn syrup and fructooligosaccharides. This strain is found in the root tubers of asparagus plants. [1]
Scientist Davender Kumar and his colleagues from Kurukshetra University in India found a strain of Bacillus safensis that was found to possess an enzyme for fat digestion called lipase. Lipases are also widely found in plants, microorganisms, and animals which are used in the production of bio deisel fuild, food, paper and detergents [1]
Bharathiar University in India was able to isolate a strain of Bacillus safensis from soil samples contaminated with explosive residue. It has been cataloged but no use has been found for it yet. [1]
References
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bacillus_safensis&oldid=660912220] Bacillus safensis. (2015, May 5). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:41, May 8, 2015, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bacillus_safensis&oldid=660912220
[2] http://ijs.sgmjournals.org/content/56/8/1735.full.pdf+html?sid=fdd91ac2-6473-43bc-8b43-a0e218117f84
NEW TAXA - Other Gram-positive Bacteria:
Masataka Satomi, Myron T. La Duc, and Kasthuri Venkateswaran
Bacillus safensis sp. nov., isolated from spacecraft and assembly-facility surfaces
Int J Syst Evol Microbiol August 2006 56:1735-1740; doi:10.1099/ijs.0.64189-0
Author
Page authored by Krystal Hess, student of Prof. Kristine Hollingsworth at Austin Community College.
