One Step Closer to Enigmatic USCα Methanotrophs: Isolation of a -like Bacterium from a Subarctic Soil.

The scavenging of atmospheric trace gases has been recognized as one of the lifestyle-defining capabilities of microorganisms in terrestrial polar ecosystems. Several metagenome-assembled genomes of as-yet-uncultivated methanotrophic bacteria, which consume atmospheric CH in these ecosystems, have been retrieved in cultivation-independent studies. In this study, we isolated and characterized a representative of these methanotrophs, strain D3K7, from a subarctic soil of northern Russia.

Methylomonas rapida sp. nov., a novel species of fast-growing, carotenoid-producing obligate methanotrophs with high biotechnological potential.

The genus Methylomonas accommodates strictly aerobic, obligate methanotrophs, with their sole carbon and energy sources restricted to methane and methanol. These bacteria inhabit oxic-anoxic interfaces of various freshwater habitats and have attracted considerable attention as potential producers of a single-cell protein. Here, we characterize two fast-growing representatives of this genus, strains 12 and MP1, which are phylogenetically distinct from the currently described Methylomonas species (94.

Expanding Characterized Diversity and the Pool of Complete Genome Sequences of Species, the Bacteria of High Environmental and Biotechnological Relevance.

The bacterial genus , which comprises aerobic thermotolerant methanotrophic cocci, was described half-a-century ago. Over the years, a member of this genus, Bath, has become a major model organism to study genomic and metabolic basis of obligate methanotrophy. High biotechnological potential of fast-growing species, mainly as a promising source of feed protein, has also been recognized.

Origin and Evolution of Bacteriophages Infecting : Horizontal Transfer Assists Adaptation to New Niches.

Black leg and soft rot are devastating diseases causing up to 50% loss of potential potato yield. The search for, and characterization of, bacterial viruses (bacteriophages) suitable for the control of these diseases is currently a sought-after task for agricultural microbiology. Isolated lytic bacteriophages Q19, PP47 and PP81 possess a similar broad host range but differ in their genomic properties.

Pan-Genome-Based Analysis as a Framework for Demarcating Two Closely Related Methanotroph Genera and .

The and are two of the five genera that were included in the first taxonomic framework of methanotrophic bacteria created half a century ago. Members of both genera are widely distributed in various environments and play a key role in reducing methane fluxes from soils and wetlands. The original separation of these methanotrophs in two distinct genera was based mainly on their differences in cell morphology.

Bacteriophage Arno 160 Infects via Depolymerization of the Bacterial O-Polysaccharide.

Phytopathogenic bacteria belonging to the and genera (soft-rot ) are in the focus of agriculture-related microbiology because of their diversity, their substantial negative impact on the production of potatoes and vegetables, and the prospects of bacteriophage applications for disease control. Because of numerous amendments in the taxonomy of , there are still a few studied sequenced strains among this species. The present work reports on the isolation and characterization of the phage infectious to the type strain of .

Morphologically Different Bacteriophages PP99 and PP101: Deacetylation of O-Polysaccharide by the Tail Spike Protein of Phage PP99 Accompanies the Infection.

Soft rot caused by numerous species of and is a serious threat to the world production of potatoes. The application of bacteriophages to combat bacterial infections in medicine, agriculture, and the food industry requires the selection of comprehensively studied lytic phages and the knowledge of their infection mechanism for more rational composition of therapeutic cocktails. We present the study of two bacteriophages, infective for the strain F152.

Thriving in Wetlands: Ecophysiology of the Spiral-Shaped Methanotroph as Revealed by the Complete Genome Sequence.

Methylospira mobilis is a recently described spiral-shaped, micro-aerobic methanotroph, which inhabits northern freshwater wetlands and sediments. Due to difficulties of cultivation, it could not be obtained in a pure culture for a long time. Here, we report on the successful isolation of strain Shm1, the first axenic culture of this unique methanotroph.

gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel freshwater planctomycete with a giant genome from the family .

The family accommodates aerobic, chemoorganotrophic planctomycetes, which inhabit various freshwater ecosystems, wetlands and soils. Here, we describe a novel member of this family, strain PX52, which was isolated from a boreal eutrophic lake in Northern Russia. This isolate formed pink-pigmented colonies and was represented by spherical cells that occurred singly, in pairs or aggregates and multiplied by budding.

Draft Genome Sequence of Methylocystis heyeri H2, a Methanotroph with Habitat-Specific Adaptations, Isolated from a Peatland Ecosystem.

H2 is an aerobic facultative methanotroph which was isolated from an acidic peat bog lake and is a common inhabitant of peatland ecosystems. This bacterium possesses two particulate methane monooxygenases with low and high affinity to methane and a number of genomic adaptations to acidic conditions.

Host Specificity of the Bacteriophage PP35 Is Directed by a Tail Spike Interaction With Bacterial -Antigen, Enabling the Infection of Alternative Non-pathogenic Bacterial Host.

is a recently emerged virulent bacterial potato pathogen that poses a major threat to world agriculture. Because of increasing antibiotic resistance and growing limitations in antibiotic use, alternative antibacterials such as bacteriophages are being developed. bacteriophages recently re-ranked as a separate family, such as phage PP35 described in this work, are the attractive candidates for this bacterial biocontrol.

Draft Genome Sequence of Pectobacterium atrosepticum PB72 and Complete Genome Sequence of the Specific Bacteriophage PP90.

We present the draft genome sequence of strain PB72 infecting potatoes in Russia. PB72 is similar to the previously reported strain 21A. Considering potential biocontrol of this pathogen, an infectious bacteriophage was isolated and characterized.

Draft Genome Sequences of New Genomospecies " Pectobacterium maceratum" Strains, Which Cause Soft Rot in Plants.

Investigation of collections of phytopathogenic bacteria has revealed some strains distinct from known spp. We report here the draft genome sequences of five such strains, isolated during the period of 1947 to 2012. Based on comparative genomics, we propose a new candidate genomospecies of the genus , " Pectobacterium maceratum.

Draft Genome Sequence of Methylovulum psychrotolerans Sph1, an Obligate Methanotroph from Low-Temperature Environments.

Sph1 is an aerobic, obligate methanotroph, which was isolated from cold methane seeps in West Siberia. This bacterium possesses only a particulate methane monooxygenase and is widely distributed in low-temperature environments. Strain Sph1 has the genomic potential for biosynthesis of hopanoids required for the maintenance of intracytoplasmic membranes.

Genomic characteristics of vB_PpaP_PP74, a T7-like Autographivirinae bacteriophage infecting a potato pathogen of the newly proposed species Pectobacterium parmentieri.

Bacteriophage vB_PpaP_PP74 (PP74) is a novel virulent phage that infects members of the species Pectobacterium parmentieri, a newly established species of soft-rot-causing bacteria in the family Pectobacteriaceae, derived from potato-specific Pectobacterium wasabiae. vB_PpaP_PP74 was identified as a member of the family Podoviridae by transmission electron microscopy. The phage has a 39,790-bp dsDNA genome containing 50 open reading frames (ORFs).

Draft Genome Sequence of NE2, an Obligate Methanotroph from Subarctic Soil.

NE2 is an aerobic, mildly acidophilic, obligate methanotroph. Similar to other species, it possesses only a particulate methane monooxygenase and is capable of atmospheric nitrogen fixation. The genome sequence of this typical inhabitant of subarctic wetlands and soils also contains genes indicative of aerobic anoxygenic photosynthesis.

Comparative Genomics of Four Isosphaeraceae Planctomycetes: A Common Pool of Plasmids and Glycoside Hydrolase Genes Shared by PX4, IS1B, DSM 18658, and Strain SH-PL62.

The family Isosphaeraceae accommodates stalk-free planctomycetes with spherical cells, which can be assembled in short chains, long filaments, or aggregates. These bacteria inhabit a wide variety of terrestrial environments, among those the recently described PX4 that was isolated from acidic boreal wetlands. Here, we analyzed its finished genome in comparison to those of three other members of the Isosphaeraceae: IS1B, DSM 18658, and the uncharacterized planctomycete strain SH-PL62.

Methylovulum psychrotolerans sp. nov., a cold-adapted methanotroph from low-temperature terrestrial environments, and emended description of the genus Methylovulum.

Two isolates of aerobic methanotrophic bacteria, strains Sph1T and Sph2, were obtained from cold methane seeps in a floodplain of the river Mukhrinskaya, Irtysh basin, West Siberia. Another morphologically and phenotypically similar methanotroph, strain OZ2, was isolated from a sediment of a subarctic freshwater lake, Archangelsk region, northern Russia. Cells of these three strains were Gram-stain-negative, light-pink-pigmented, non-motile, encapsulated, large cocci that contained an intracytoplasmic membrane system typical of type I methanotrophs.