Genome sequencing project of Sphingomonas sp. strain A1-M5

A Gram-negative bacterium, Sphingomonas sp. strain A1, assimilates acidic polysaccharides such as alginate and pectin. Although strain A1 cells are non-motile, several motile cells have been obtained through subculture of strain A1 cells on soft agar plates. The most resultant motile cells show a chemotaxis to both of alginate and pectin, while the cells of strain A1-M5 isolated from the motile cells show a chemotaxis to alginate but not to pectin. The pectin-assimilating ability of strain A1-M5 cells is also reduced. To identify the gene responsible for chemotaxis to pectin, this project deals with genome sequencing of strain A1-M5 cells and comparative genome analysis between strain A1 and A1-M5 cells.