Mycobacterium vanbaalenii
Mycobacterium vanbaalenii
(This page is currently under construction)
A Microbial Biorealm page on the genus Mycobacterium vanbaalenii
Classification
Higher order taxa
Bacteria; Actinobacteria; Actinobacteridae; Actinomycetales; Coyrnebacterineae; Mycobacteriaceae; Mycobacterium; Mycobacterium vanbaalenii PYR-1
Genus
Mycobacterium vanbaalenii
NCBI: Taxonomy |
Some members of the Mycobacterium genus have are able to degrade various environmentally toxic chemicals. Mycobacterium vanbaalenii PYR-1 was first found in the Harbor Island oil tank farm in the watershed of Redfish Bay, Texas. It is notable for it’s ability to degrade the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) pyrene for its carbon and energy source. PAH are common organic pollutants; some, i.e. pyrene, is found in incompletely combusted petroleum products. Some PAHs have been identified as carcinogens and pyrene itself is known to be toxic to the liver and kidneys. It has been proposed that the understanding of the genome sequence of the PYR-1 strain will allow an understanding of the PAH degradation pathway and may prove useful ecologically in bioremediation processes
Genome structure
Describe the size and content of the genome. How many chromosomes? Circular or linear? Other interesting features? What is known about its sequence? Does it have any plasmids? Are they important to the organism's lifestyle?
Cell structure and metabolism
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Ecology
Describe any interactions with other organisms (included eukaryotes), contributions to the environment, effect on environment, etc.
Pathology
How does this organism cause disease? Human, animal, plant hosts? Virulence factors, as well as patient symptoms.
Application to Biotechnology
Does this organism produce any useful compounds or enzymes? What are they and how are they used?
Current Research
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References
Edited by ChauNhien Nguyen, student of Rachel Larsen and Kit Pogliano