Blue Soy Mutants Project

Two spontaneous mutants developed from the Pseudomonas carnis strain UCD_MED7 = DKN 2790 were isolated and subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing. A BLAST search run against reference sequences (refseq_rna) was inconclusive because a Pseudomonas carnis reference strain was not available. Another run against the nucleotide collection (nr/nt) showed high identity scores (100%) for twenty-one different entries including the whole genome shotgun sequence from Pseudomonas carnis strain UCD_MED7. Strain UCD_MED7 produced a striking blue pigment when cultured in/on soymilk, but the mutant strains did not. All three strains formed fluorescent pigments and two also formed dark, melanin-like pigments. Whole genome shotgun sequences were obtained for the two mutant strains to facilitate the discovery of genes involved in blue pigment biosynthesis. The pigment composition and biosynthetic pathway have yet to be determined.