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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, July 2007, p. 4559-4569, Vol. 73, No. 14
0099-2240/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.02580-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Ecological Genomics of Marine Roseobacters ^,

Department of Marine Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602,¹ Center of Marine Biotechnology, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, 701 East Pratt St., Baltimore, Maryland 21202,² Department of Microbiology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602,³ Department of Microbiology, University of La Laguna, 38071 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain,⁴ Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602,⁵ Center for Biotechnology, Bielefeld University, D-33594 Bielefeld, Germany,⁶ The Institute for Genomic Research, 9712 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850,⁷ Joint Institute for Computational Sciences, The University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6173,⁸ Bioscience Division and DOE Joint Genome Institute, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545,⁹ Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-0845,¹⁰

Received 6 November 2006/ Accepted 17 May 2007

Bacterioplankton of the marine Roseobacter clade have genomes that reflect a dynamic environment and diverse interactions with marine plankton. Comparative genome sequence analysis of three cultured representatives suggests that cellular requirements for nitrogen are largely provided by regenerated ammonium and organic compounds (polyamines, allophanate, and urea), while typical sources of carbon include amino acids, glyoxylate, and aromatic metabolites. An unexpectedly large number of genes are predicted to encode proteins involved in the production, degradation, and efflux of toxins and metabolites. A mechanism likely involved in cell-to-cell DNA or protein transfer was also discovered: vir-related genes encoding a type IV secretion system typical of bacterial pathogens. These suggest a potential for interacting with neighboring cells and impacting the routing of organic matter into the microbial loop. Genes shared among the three roseobacters and also common in nine draft Roseobacter genomes include those for carbon monoxide oxidation, dimethylsulfoniopropionate demethylation, and aromatic compound degradation. Genes shared with other cultured marine bacteria include those for utilizing sodium gradients, transport and metabolism of sulfate, and osmoregulation.

Published ahead of print on 25 May 2007.

Supplemental material for this article may be found at http://aem.asm.org/.

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