Acidiphilium multivorum AIU301^T(= NBRC 100883^T)

Acidiphilium multivorum AIU301^T was isolated as an acidophilic, aerobic, anoxygenic and phototrophic bacterium from pyritic acid mine drainage. Members of the genus Acidiphlium belonging to alpha-proteobacteria are well known to have high ability of resistance to various metals under acidic condition, and require high acidity for growth. A. multivorum AIU301^T is also characterized as a strain exhibiting tolerance to nickel, zinc, cadmium and copper ion. Furthermore, A. multivorum AIU301^T exhibits resistance to arsenate and arsenite. Also interesting is that A. multivorum AIU301^T has zinc-chelated-bacteriochlorophylls (Zn-Bchl) a rather than Mg-Bchl a as the major photopigment. This unique character is limited in a group of aerobic acidophilic proteobacteria including species of the genus Acidiphlium.

Genome analysis of A. multivorum AIU301^T revealed nine replicons composed of one circular chromosome (3,749,411 bp, 67.6% G+C, 3,449 ORF) and eight circular plasmids pACMV1 (271,573 bp, 62.9% G+C, 284 ORF), pACMV2 (65,564 bp, 61.9% G+C, 69 ORF), pACMV3 (54,248 bp, 61.2% G+C, 61 ORF), pACMV4 (40,588 bp, 60.1% G+C, 44 ORF), pACMV5 (14,328 bp, 59.0% G+C, 19 ORF), pACMV6 (12,125 bp, 59.6% G+C, 14 ORF), pACMV7 (5,178 bp, 57.6% G+C, 8 ORF) and pACMV8 (1,728 bp, 60.9% G+C, 1 ORF). The chromosome and circular plasmids encode many genes which seem to be involved in heavy metal-transport, and three operons which seem to contribute to arsenic resistance. A. multivorum AIU301^T chromosome showed overall high conservation of synteny with Acidipphilium cryptum JF-5 chromosome which has been sequenced, excluding a few regions. One of the unique regions that exist only in A. multivorum AIU301^T is a 225-kb region which contains the photosynthesis gene cluster and many insertion sequences.

The genome sequence of A. multivorum AIU301^T would provide insights into the understanding of acidophilic bacteria, and may also facilitate the development of technologies utilizing this bacterium such as bioremediation in acidic and metal-rich environment.

Photo by Dr. Uchino (NBRC, NITE)

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The URL of NBRC is http://www.nbrc.nite.go.jp/e/index.html.

Distribution of Our Microbial Genomic DNAs

At the Biological Resource Center of the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE Biological Resource Center, an Incorporated Administrative Agency), we have been distributing the microbial genomic DNA.

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