Diversity of the aerobic anoxygenic phototrophy gene pufM in Arctic and Antarctic coastal seawaters

Aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic（AAP） bacteria serve important functions in marine carbon and energy cycling because of their capability to utilize dissolved organic substrates and harvest light energy.AAP bacteria are widely distributed in marine environments,and their diversity has been examined in marine habitats.However,information about AAP bacteria at high latitudes remains insufficient to date.Therefore,this study determined the summer AAP bacterial diversity in Arctic Kongsfjorden and in the Antarctic coastal seawater of King George Island on the basis of puf M,a gene that encodes a pigment-binding protein subunit of the reaction center complex.Four puf M clone libraries were constructed,and 674 positive clones were obtained from four investigated stations（two in Kongsfjorden and two in the Antarctic Maxwell Bay）.Arctic clones were clustered within the Alphaproteobacteria,whereas Antarctic clones were classified into the Alphaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria classes.Rhodobacteraceae-like puf M genes dominated in all samples.In addition,sequences closely related to puf M encoded on a plasmid in Sulfitobacter guttiformis were predominant in both Arctic and Antarctic samples.This result indicates the transpolar or even global distribution of puf M genes in marine environments.Meanwhile,differences between the Arctic and Antarctic sequences may prove polar endemism.These results indicate the important role of Rhodobacteraceae as AAP bacteria in bipolar coastal waters.

Preliminary genome analysis of psychrotolerant marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas sp. BSw20308 reveals its potential applications

The genus Pseudoalteromonas is ubiquitous in the marine environment and can synthesize a wide range of extracellular compounds. Psychrotolerant Pseudoalteromonas sp. BSw20308 was isolated from the Chukchi Sea, a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It produces a number of extracellular enzymes that can degrade polysaccharides and proteins. The BSw20308 genome was sequenced to 38.1-fold coverage, and the sequences were assembled into 146 contigs （〉~500 bp）. In total, 4 172 open reading frames （ORFs） with an average gene length of 987 bp were detected. At least 86 ORFs were predicted by sequence analysis to encode a variety of catalytic modules involved in the degradation of polysaccharides, proteins, and lipids. In addition, 36 ORFs were predicted to encode catalytic modules involved in the degradation of organic pollutants and halogenated compounds, and in the production of bioactive compounds. The draft genome sequence of BSw20308 provides new information about the ecological function and adaptation of the genus Pseudoalteromonas in Arctic marine environments, and also indicates its potential applica- tions in the biotechnology industries （e.g., enzymology, and pollutant degradation）.