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Appl. Environ. Microbiol. doi:10.1128/AEM.02580-06
Copyright (c) 2007, American Society for Microbiology and/or the Listed Authors/Institutions. All Rights Reserved.

Ecological Genomics of Marine Roseobacters

Department of Marine Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; Center of Marine Biotechnology, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, 701 East Pratt St., Baltimore, MD 21202, USA; Department of Microbiology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; Department of Microbiology, University of La Laguna, 38071 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain; Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; Center for Biotechnology, Bielefeld University, D-33594 Bielefeld, Germany; The Institute for Genomic Research, 9712 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD 20850, USA; Joint Institute for Computational Sciences, The University of Tennessee - Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6173; The Institute for Genomic Research, 9712 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD 20850, USA; Bioscience Division and DOE Joint Genome Institute, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545; Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-0845

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: mmoran{at}uga.edu.

	Abstract

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, urea), while typical sources of carbon include amino acids, glyoxylate, and aromatic metabolites. An unexpectedly large number of genes are predicted to encode 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, DMSP 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.

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