Sphingomonas sanxanigenens DSM 19645 = NX02 Genome sequencing. Sphingomonas sanxanigenens DSM 19645 = NX02

Sphingomonas sanxanigenens NX02, a member of a new species of the genus Sphingomonas sensu stricto that was isolated from soil. Strain NX02 synthesizes a novel extracellular biopolymer called Sphingan Ss. Sphingan Ss has excellent thickening, shear thinning, gelling and emulsification properties, and it has been used in China for years as a drilling mud and as a thickening agent in the recovery of petroleum by water flooding. The Sphingomonas sanxanigenens genome provides a genetic basis for understanding the synthetic pathways of Sphingan Ss and metabolic diversity with other sphingan-producing strains.