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Researcher(s):
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Major Lineage:
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Gammaproteobacteria
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NCBI taxID:
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236097
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Genome Size (Mb):
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3.0 Mb
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G+C %:
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58.2%
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Number of Genes:
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3335
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Coding %:
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86.1%
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Isolation Method:
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Isolated from dinoflagellate cell surface; dilution plating on 1/10th strength 2216 agar + vitamins + trace elments (see Green et al. 2004). Growth 18C / dark. 4 weeks.
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16S rRNA gene sequence:
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Status:
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Released to GenBank
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GenBank Accession Number:
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ABRW00000000
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Primary Citation:
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Green et al. 2004. Phylogenetic and functional diversity of the cultivable bacterial community associated with the paralytic shellfish poisoning dinoflagellate Gymnodinium catenatum. FEMS Microbiol. Ecol. 47(3): 345-357.
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Relevance:
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Alcanivorax is a globally distributed genus of oil-degrading bacteria. They are extreme halophiles and show a highly restricted range of growth substrates, primarily aliphatic hydrocarbons and a few organic acids. Although Alcanivorax is normally a minor component of unpolluted waters, they will increase to high numbers in oil-polluted waters, where it can comprise >80 % of the hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial community.
However, there is a question of why Alcanivorax is found throughout the world's oceans, when much of the ocean is not polluted with oil. Iits natural reservoir may be in association with hydrocarbon-rich phytoplankton, such as dinoflagellates. During a study of bacteria associated with marine dinoflagellates, we isolated Alcanivorax sp. from three strains of the toxic dinoflagellate Gymnodinium catenatum from Korea, Australia and New Zealand and Dinophysis acuminata from Scotland. This points to Alcanivorax as a potentially important component of the marine carbon cycle in both pristine and polluted waters.
It is also one of only a few bacterial taxa that can stimulate dinoflagellate growth. In this regard, the parallels between Alcanivorax and Marinobacter algicola are striking. Notably, the highly similar (99.4 % 16S rDNA similarity) type strain Alcanivorax borkumensis SK2 (Y12579) does not support dinoflagellate growth.
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Location Collected:
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Paralytic shellfish producing dinoflagellate Gymnodinium catenatum isolated from the Derwent estuary, Tasmania, Australia. DG881 was isolated from a clonal culture of this dinoflagellate in Scotland 2001.
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Depth (m):
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Surface
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Latitude*:
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42° 53' 24" S
Convert to decimal
-42.89
Convert to degrees
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Longitude*:
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147° 46' 48" E
Convert to decimal
147.78
Convert to degrees
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Location:
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| *In some cases, latitude and longitude are estimates based on information supplied by the researcher. |