Large-scale comparative phenotypic and genomic analyses reveal ecological preferences of shewanella species and identify metabolic pathways conserved at the genus level.

ABSTRACT: The use of comparative genomics for the study of different microbiological species has increased substantially as sequence technologies become more affordable. However, efforts to fully link a genotype to its phenotype remain limited to the development of one mutant at a time. In this study, we provided a high-throughput alternative to this limiting step by coupling comparative genomics to the use of phenotype arrays for five sequenced Shewanella strains. Positive phenotypes were obtained for 441 nutrients (C, N, P, and S sources), with N-based compounds being the most utilized for all strains. Many genes and pathways predicted by genome analyses were confirmed with the comparative phenotype assay, and three degradation pathways believed to be missing in Shewanella were confirmed as missin

SUBMITTER: Rodrigues JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3147445 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature