Relationship between Microenvironmental Features and Distribution of Lichen Cladonia in Antarctica

초록

Kordia is a bacterial genus belonging to the phylum Bacteroidetes, found in various marine environments and forms a phylogenetically distinct lineage comprising eight species with validly published names. Currently four draft genome sequences of Kordia species are publicly available but very limited genome analyses have been performed. In the present study, we obtained the complete genome sequence of strain IMCC3317, the type strain of K. antarctica and analyzed genetic characteristics of IMCC3317 together with other Kordia genomes. The genome of IMCC3317 was 5,500,985 bp in size which was the largest genome among Kordia species, with DNA G+C content of 33.2%. A total of 4,761 genes were predicted in the genome with 9 rRNA genes and 49 tRNA genes. The major COG categories were translation, ribosomal structure and biogenesis (7.7%), coenzyme transport and metabolism (6.0%), and inorganic ion transport and metabolism (5.3%). Based on the comparative genomic analysis, strain IMCC3317 shared common metabolic pathways with other strains of the genus Kordia but had a unique nitrous oxide reductase (nosZ) gene. This suggests that strain IMCC3317 is one of a few marine Bacteroidetes that have a physiological potential for non-denitrifying nitrous oxide reducer. [This study was supported by a grant from the Marine Biotechnology Program (PJT200620), funded by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Korea.]