2975
Carboxydothermus ferrireducens DSM 11255 Genome sequencing and assembly
The existing DOE-supported sequencing project on Thermosinus carboxydivorans has provided evidence that CO oxidation can be coupled alternatively to H2 production or toxic metal reduction. This project seeks to sequence Carboxydothermus ferrireducens, a variant of C. hydrogenoformans that is specialized for toxic metal reduction (Fe+  , Se and Tc)  and has lost, or failed to acquire, the gene cluster controlling H2 production. In addition we propose to resequence two variants of C. hydrogenoformans that have been adapted for faster growth rates and for greater hydrogen production during growth on syngas, which usually contains about 55% CO and 30% H2. Our experiments on syngas, in collaboration with Deborah Newby at Idaho National Laboratory, were exploring the prospects for a biohydrogen process in which syngas would be simultaneously depleted in CO and enriched for H2 using the biological equivalent of the water-gas shift reaction. This project will provide insights into evolution and lateral gene transfer in bacteria . The most deeply branching lineages of the universal tree of life are occupied by thermophiles, some of which have experienced a significant degree of lateral gene transfer.