Denitrifying bacteria isolated from neutral and low pH soil; Genome sequencing and assembly. Bacteria

The capacity to denitrify is widespread among taxonomically diverse bacteria, but our knowledge about the biochemistry and physiology of this pathway and its regulation is based on intensive studies of a few model organisms. Recent in vivo studies of selected denitrifiers reveal large phenotypic variations, attributed to transcriptional regulation and post-transcriptional phenomena. This calls for systematic ecophysiological investigations of a wider range of denitrifiers. We designed an isolation protocol that identifies all possible combinations of truncated denitrification chains by end-point analyses (NO3-/NO2-/NH4+/NO/N2O/N2). Whole genome sequencing confirmed most truncations but also showed that phenotypes cannot be predicted solely from genetic potential.