Bacteria Genomes - PSEUDOMONAS PUTIDA

Pseudomonas putida is a Gram-negative bacteria with rod-shaped cells and multitrichous flagella, it is one of nature's most versatile microbes.

This soil bacterium has the potential to help clean up organic pollutants as it is a unique soil microorganism, which can resist the adverse effects of these organic solvents.

P. putida has the most genes of any known species involved in breaking down aromatic hydrocarbons, like TNT. Aromatic hydrocarbons are hazardous chemicals generated by the burning of coal, gas, tobacco, meat and other organic matter.

The petroleum industry is investigating P. putida as a cheap means of purifying fuel, while the pathogen's resistance to antibiotics is allowing crop scientists to study its ability to protect plants from pests and help them grow.

The newly sequenced genome may benefit research on cystic fibrosis. Pseudomonas putida is closely related to Pseudomonas aeruginosa (which was sequenced in 2000), the leading infectious killer of persons with this disease. The bacteria have similar genomes but P. putida lacks certain genes that make P. aeruginos an efficient pathogen, including those for enzymes that digest cell membranes.

References:

Environ. Microbiol. 4(12):799-808(2002).
http://distans.livstek.lth.se:2080/P_putida.htm
http://genomenewsnetwork.org/articles/01_03/soil_microbe.shtml