Leisingera caerulea DSM 24564 Genome sequencing and assembly

The two DOE missions that can be linked to the analysis of the genomes in this proposal are (i) biogeochemistry, via the contribution of roseobacters to the global climate, and (ii) phylogenetic diversity, via the systematic analysis of this not yet genomically characterized but highly diverse monophyletic subgroup of the Roseobacter clade, which is one of the main targets of current marine microbiology. Roseobacters can account for as much as 25% of the bacterial community in surface waters and have a global distribution. They have been shown to be very important in the global carbon and sulfur cycles. Members of the Roseobacter clade can oxidize carbon monoxide, an important greenhouse gas formed in seawater when sunlight oxidizes marine dissolved organic matter. In addition, roseobacters including Phaeobacter spp. are known to degrade dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) to dimethylsulfide (DMS), which is volatile, and/or converted by demethylation to mercaptopropionate. DMSP is produced by dinoflagellates and prymnesiophytes. Since DMS is involved in cloud nucleation it is evident that the activity of these bacteria directly affects the global climate.