Publications

4537

A bacterial strain named IGB-41T was isolated from a soil sample from an ant hill near Stuttgart, Germany. The strain was Gram-negative, rod-shaped, motile and facultatively anaerobic. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA grouped the strain IGB-41T within the class Betaproteobacteria into the family Neisseriaceae together with Silvimonas amylolytica NBRC 103189T, Silvimonas iriomotensis NBRC 103188T and Silvimonas terrae KM-45T as the closest relatives with sequence similarities of 96.7, 96.6 and 96.1 %, respectively. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was determined to be 61.5 mol% and quinone analysis revealed Q-8 as the only detectable quinone. Major cellular fatty acids were identified as C16 : 0, summed feature 3 (iso-C15 : 0 2-OH and/or C16 : 1ω7c) and C18 : 1ω7c . Strain IGB-41T was unique in harbouring phosphoaminolipids, aminolipids and glycoaminolipids when compared with Silvimonas amylolytica NBRC 103189T in polar lipid analysis. On the basis of the physiological, phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of strain IGB-41T, we suggest that the novel strain should be assigned to a new genus Amantichitinum and novel species Amantichitinum ursilacus. The type species of the genus Amantichitinum is Amantichitinum ursilacus and the type strain is IGB-41T ( = DSM 23761T = CIP 110167T).

ABSTRACT We report the draft genome sequence of “ Candidatus Methanomethylophilus alvus” Mx1201, a methanogen present in the human gut. It was enriched from human feces under anaerobic conditions with methanol as the substrate. Its circular genome, of around 1.7 Mb, contains genes needed for methylotrophic methanogenesis from methanol and tri-, di-, and monomethylamine.

ABSTRACT Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) typically predominate over ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in marine sediments. We herein present the draft genome sequence of an ammonia-oxidizing archaeon, “ Candidatus Nitrosopumilus sediminis” AR2, which was enriched in culture from a marine sediment obtained off Svalbard, within the Arctic Circle. The typical genes involved in archaeal ammonia oxidation and carbon fixation necessary for chemolithoautotrophic growth were observed. Interestingly, the AR2 genome sequence was revealed to possess, uniquely among cultivated AOA from marine environments, a capability for urea utilization.

ABSTRACT Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) are ubiquitous in various marine environments and play important roles in the global nitrogen and carbon cycles. We here present a high-quality draft genome sequence of an ammonia-oxidizing archaeon, “ Candidatus Nitrosopumilus koreensis” AR1, which was found to dominate an ammonia-oxidizing enrichment culture in marine sediment off Svalbard, the Arctic Circle. Despite a significant number of nonoverlapping genes (ca. 30%), similarities of this strain to “ Candidatus Nitrosopumilus maritimus” were revealed by core genes for archaeal ammonia oxidation and carbon fixation, G+C content, and extensive synteny conservation.

ABSTRACT The recently described bacterium “ Candidatus Methylomirabilis oxyfera” couples the oxidation of the important greenhouse gas methane to the reduction of nitrite. The ecological significance of “ Ca . Methylomirabilis oxyfera” is still underexplored, as our ability to identify the presence of this bacterium is thus far limited to DNA-based techniques. Here, we investigated the lipid composition of “ Ca . Methylomirabilis oxyfera” to identify new, gene-independent biomarkers for the environmental detection of this bacterium. Multiple “ Ca . Methylomirabilis oxyfera” enrichment cultures were investigated. In all cultures, the lipid profile was dominated up to 46% by the fatty acid (FA) 10-methylhexadecanoic acid (10MeC 16:0 ). Furthermore, a unique FA was identified that has not been reported elsewhere: the monounsaturated 10-methylhexadecenoic acid with a double bond at the Δ7 position (10MeC 16:1Δ7 ), which comprised up to 10% of the total FA profile. We propose that the typical branched fatty acids 10MeC 16:0 and 10MeC 16:1Δ7 are key and characteristic components of the lipid profile of “ Ca . Methylomirabilis oxyfera.” The successful detection of these fatty acids in a peatland from which one of the enrichment cultures originated supports the potential of these unique lipids as biomarkers for the process of nitrite-dependent methane oxidation in the environment.

Secondary metabolites are ubiquitous in bacteria, but by definition, they are thought to be nonessential. Highly toxic secondary metabolites such as patellazoles have been isolated from marine tunicates, where their exceptional potency and abundance implies a role in chemical defense, but their biological source is unknown. Here, we describe the association of the tunicate Lissoclinum patella with a symbiotic α-proteobacterium, Candidatus Endolissoclinum faulkneri, and present chemical and biological evidence that the bacterium synthesizes patellazoles. We sequenced and assembled the complete Ca . E. faulkneri genome, directly from metagenomic DNA obtained from the tunicate, where it accounted for 0.6% of sequence data. We show that the large patellazoles biosynthetic pathway is maintained, whereas the remainder of the genome is undergoing extensive streamlining to eliminate unneeded genes. The preservation of this pathway in streamlined bacteria demonstrates that secondary metabolism is an essential component of the symbiotic interaction.

ABSTRACT The genome of “ Candidatus Portiera aleyrodidarum,” the primary endosymbiont of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Mediterranean species), is reported. It presents a reduced genome (357 kb) encoding the capability to synthetize, or participate in the synthesis of, several amino acids and carotenoids, being the first insect endosymbiont capable of supplying carotenoids.