Annotation of Microbial Genome with Potential Extracellular Electron Transport Capabilities

Abstract

By Waleed Amir, Biological Sciences and Neuroscience

Advisor: Annette Rowe

Presentation ID: 177

Abstract: The diversity of microbial metabolisms is constantly being expanded and characterized. This includes understanding of how microbes use different inorganic materials under different environmental conditions. To better understand the metabolic capabilities of Idiomarina loihiensis str. FeNA, isolated from marine sediment cathodes, we sequenced and annotated its genome. The genome was annotated and assessed using various bioinformatic resources. I. loihiensis has 2.9 MB genome that encodes approximately 2,786 genes. Comparing these genes against the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), we see that this organism has a wide range of carbon utilizing pathways, consistent with eating organic carbon, but lacks a complete respiratory pathway for anything but oxygen (e.g., nitrogen or sulfur). In this work we aimed to investigate the microbes ability to oxidize metals through the investigation of novel (uncharacterized) cytochrome containing genes since these are not well characterized. We so far have identified 8 cytochrome containing genes, 2 of which are localized on the membrane or extracellularly which supports a potential role in extracellular electron transfer. Further investigation of these genes could provide insight into extracellular electron transfer which is important because it plays a key role in bioremediation and microbe-electrode technologies.