Center for Bioinformatics &
Genome Biology

The Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans home page.

 

Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans [ formerly called Thiobacillus ferrooxidans ] is a chemolithoautotrophic, gamma-proteobacterium that obtains energy and electrons by the oxidation of reduced sulfur compounds to sulfate or Fe(II) to Fe(III) ( phylogeny ), ( taxonomy ). It is a mesophilic, facultative aerobe that fixes atmospheric CO2 and N2 to provide cellular C and N. It thrives in extremely acidic conditions (pH 1-2) and is often confronted with high concentrations of metals including iron. These multiple challenges make it an excellent choice for understanding microbial physiology in extreme environments. Knowledge of its metabolism is also essential for describing its role in the bioleaching process and in the biogeochemical recycling of iron, sulfur, carbon and nitrogen in extreme acid environments. A. ferrooxidans is a member of a consortium of microorganisms in bioleaching operations and other naturally low pH environments. A knowledge of its activity in the development and maintenance of its associated consortium is important for generating a comprehensive description of its role in mineral leaching and environmentally associated processes.

A partial genome sequence and annotation of A. ferrooxidans ATCC 23270 , was carried by Integrated Genomics , and a complete genome sequence and annotation was recently published by The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) , We have also carried out an annotation of the TIGR sequence that can be searched .

Information from the partial genome sequence of Integrated Genomics was used to determine genes and pathways involved in amino acid biosynthesis [Abstract] [Full text] . We have exploited our annotation to develop preliminary descriptions of nitrogen fixation, hydrogen utilization, metal fluxes and Ti plasmid-like genes [Abstract], Sulfur assimilation [Abstract] [Full text] , Biofilm formation [Abstract] [Full text], iron assimilation, iron homeostasis and Fur regulation [Abstract 1] [Full text 1], [Abstract 2] [Full text 2], [Abstract 3] [Full text 3]. In collaboration with Dr. Bonnefoy, Brasseur and Lemesle-Meunier at the CNRS, Marseille, France spectrophotometric studies have been carried out to understand iron and sulfur oxidation. In collaboration with Dr. Bonnefoy, molecular biological and biochemical studies and transcript profiling experiments have been carried out to understand iron and sulfur oxidation [Abstract] and central carbon metabolism [Abstract]

Despite considerable effort, A. ferrooxidans remains largely recalcitrant to standard techniques of genetic manipulation such as transformation, transduction and conjugation. This deficiency seriously impedes the direct experimental investigation of its metabolism and bioinformatic techniques become an important platform for genomics in this absence. We continue to explore the physiology of this organism using a combination of computational tools and experimental validation supported by a Fondecyt project [Abstract] .

 

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- Genome sequence


- Genome anotation


- Metabolic Reconstruction


 

CC - [Amir S. 2006] - [ Last update 03/23/2007 ]