Anaeromyxobacter dehalogenans: Difference between revisions

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Describe any interactions with other organisms (included eukaryotes), contributions to the environment, effect on environment, etc.
Describe any interactions with other organisms (included eukaryotes), contributions to the environment, effect on environment, etc.


Anaerobic conditions may impact agrochemical fate, nutrient cycling, and plant/seed-microbe interactions and research has shown that A. dehalogenans are useful in charactarising anaerobic agricultural soil processes in an observatory (10). Under environmental conditions, it exists as a robust and competitive organism that is not affected by changing redox conditions. And it is found to be active at a pH of 6-8.5 (Genome).
Anaerobic conditions may impact agrochemical fate, nutrient cycling, and plant/seed-microbe interactions and research has shown that A. dehalogenans are useful in charactarizing anaerobic agricultural soil processes in an observatory (10). Under environmental conditions, it exists as a robust and competitive organism that is not affected by changing redox conditions. And it is found to be active at a pH of 6-8.5 (Genome).


==Pathology==
==Pathology==

Revision as of 04:43, 5 June 2007

A Microbial Biorealm page on the genus Anaeromyxobacter dehalogenans

Classification

Higher order taxa

Bacteria; Proteobacteria; delta/epsilon subdivisions; Deltaproteobacteria; Myxococcales; Cystobacterineae; Myxococcaceae; Anaeromyxobacter.

Species

NCBI: Taxonomy

The Anaeromyxobacter dehalogenans 2CP-C strain has been most studied and its complete genomic sequence has been determined. Species that fall under Anaeromyxobacter dehalogenans are Anaeromyxobacter sp. FAc12, Anaeromyxobacter sp. Fw109-5 and environmental samples such as uncultured Anaeromyxobacter sp.

Description and significance

Describe the appearance, habitat, etc. of the organism, and why it is important enough to have its genome sequenced. Describe how and where it was isolated. Include a picture or two (with sources) if you can find them.

Anaeromyxobacter dehalogenans is a Gram-negative rod-shaped, motile, spore-forming bacteria found in the soil.

Anaeromyxobacter dehalogenans is a slender Gram-negative rod-shaped spore-forming soil bacterium. It is capable of a gliding motility and forms a spore-like structure (Char/Desc). It was the first Myxobacterium that was found capable of anaerobic respiration (Sanford) wherein it is able to grow by coupling the oxidation of both acetate or hydrogen, which is a distinguishing property of the organism from other reducing populations, to the reduction of ortho-substituted halophenols, ferric iron, nitrate, nitrite and fumarate (NCBI). It was first isolated by enrichment and isolation of single plate-grown colonies obtained from uranium-contaminated sediment collected at the U.S. DOE Field Research Center near Oak Ridge, TN, which allowed for a 16s rRNA gene-based community analysis of the sample that suggested that the species helped in metal reduction (Petrie). These metal-reducing microorganisms are widely distributed in the environment (Sanford). It has been found in undisturbed and contaminated soils and sediments, and evidence shows they also exist in acidic subsurface sediments (North).

A. dehalogenans is an important model organism that exists as both as a productive dechlorinator and metal reducer. Sequencing this bacteria also provides information about the reductive dehalogenase genes and the organization of its operon, which will help to design nucleic acid-based tools to "detect, monitor and quantify functional genes involved in reductive dechlorination processes at contaminated sites" (JGI).By studying the potential interferences between the competing substrates in contaminated environments we can further understand bioremidiation efforts(Sanford).

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?

The anaeromyxobacter dehalogenans genome size is 5,013,479 base pairs.

The Joint Genome Institute has determined the complete genomic sequence of A. dehalogenans strain 2CP-C. Its replicon type is the chromosome. The genome of contains 5,013,479 bp, 4,346 genes and its predicted origin is at 3,425 kbp. It contains 58 RNA genes. It has a 75% GC content and a 25 % AT content. It is found as 90% coding. Its molecule is DNA.

A. dehalogenans has a circular chromosome topography. And it does not have any plasmids.

Cell structure and metabolism

Describe any interesting features and/or cell structures; how it gains energy; what important molecules it produces.

Anaeromyxobacter dehalogenans has anaerobic growth and lacks a fruiting body, which is uncharactaristic of the Myxococcus subgroup it belongs to, but it can be considered a Myxococcus due to other close resemblences. It is a member of the delta-proteobacteria group that exhibits anaerobic diversity like sulfate reduction, iron reduction, fermentation and dehalogenation (32 Char/Desc). The A. dehalogenan lifestyle allows halogenated compounds to be used as electron acceptors for growth (13 Char/Desc) and chlororespiration enables the organism to release energy for growth (10 Char/Desc).

A. dehalogenans has a great deal of metabolic diversity, such as "halorespiration of herbicides, ferric-ion reduction, ammoniafication, and N2O reduction" (USDA). It is able to grow under different redox conditions. It also has electron donor versatility and it uses oxidized metals like Uranium(VI) and Fe(III), phenols, oxygen, nitrite, nitrate and fumarate as terminal electron aceeptors (Sanford). It is able to couple electron acceptor reduction with the oxidation of compounds such as formate, hydrogen, acetate, succinate, pyruvate and glucose (Genome).

Ecology

Describe any interactions with other organisms (included eukaryotes), contributions to the environment, effect on environment, etc.

Anaerobic conditions may impact agrochemical fate, nutrient cycling, and plant/seed-microbe interactions and research has shown that A. dehalogenans are useful in charactarizing anaerobic agricultural soil processes in an observatory (10). Under environmental conditions, it exists as a robust and competitive organism that is not affected by changing redox conditions. And it is found to be active at a pH of 6-8.5 (Genome).

Pathology

Anaeromyxobacter dehalogenans is not a pathogen, nor does it cause disease.

Application to Biotechnology

Does this organism produce any useful compounds or enzymes? What are they and how are they used?

Understanding the unique class of enzymes with novel catalytic proteins can lead to biotechnological applications (Genome) especially at sites that contain halogenated and chlorinated compounds, where biostimulation can occur by "supplying the populations of interest with reducing equivalents needed to reduce the contaminants" (Sanford- main pts).

Current Research

Enter summaries of the most recent research here--at least three required

1. Towards a More Complete Picture: Dissimillatory Metal Reduction by Anaeromyxobacter Species is a 3-year project lead by Frank Loeffler and Robert Sanford focusing on uranium reduction in the species. The research will look at the isolates of the bacteria and look at its physiological requirements. Molecular biology tools will be designed in order to detect and quantify samples in culture and in the environment with hopes to discover Anaeromyxobacter's distribution and abundance within the environment. Also, at in the Field Research Center they will attempt to isolate additional species.

2. Biomolecular Mechanisms Controlling Metal and Radionuclide Transformations in Anaeromyoxybacter dehalogenans is a research project whose goal is to find out the "molecular mechanisms of radionuclide biotransformation" and "assess the effects of relevant environmental factors on these transformation reactions" (GEO). By using targeted physiological and genetic analysis and a microarray-based comparitive genomics approach they aim to find out the mechanisms involved allowing us to become more capable of predicting processes involved transformation in subsurface environments in order to use for bioremidiation.

3. Fast Dechlorination of Chlorinated Phenols by Anaeromyxobacter dehalogenans Strain 2CP-C is a research study by R. A. Sanford and Q. He at the University of Illinois which focuses on the physiology and kinetics of the dechlorination that allows the organism to grow. Using halogenated phenolic compounds they determine its rates of growth and dechlorination, and furthermore aim to determine if the strain can be used for the bioremediation of chlorinated phenols.

References

[Sample reference] Takai, K., Sugai, A., Itoh, T., and Horikoshi, K. "Palaeococcus ferrophilus gen. nov., sp. nov., a barophilic, hyperthermophilic archaeon from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent chimney". International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 2000. Volume 50. p. 489-500.

Edited by student of Rachel Larsen and Kit Pogliano

10. Chee Sanford, J.C., Sanford, R.A., Loffler, F.E., Thomas, S.H., Sims, G.K. 2006. Investigating anaerobic microbial processes in agricultural soils using Anaeromyxobacter dehalogenans as a cosmopolitan model [abstract]. International Society for Microbial Ecology. 11:2025.