In the genome of the hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga maritima, TM0504 encodes a putative signaling peptide implicated in population density-dependent exopolysaccharide formation. Although not noted in the original genome annotation, TM0504 was found to colocate, on the opposite strand, with the gene encoding ssrA, a hybrid of tRNA and mRNA (tmRNA), which is involved in a trans-translatio...

MreB, a major component of the recently discovered bacterial cytoskeleton, displays a structure homologous to its eukaryotic counterpart actin. Here, we study the assembly and mechanical properties of Thermotoga maritima MreB in the presence of different nucleotides in vitro. We found that GTP, not ADP or GDP, can mediate MreB assembly into filamentous structures as effectively as ATP. Upon Mre...

The genome sequence of the hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga maritima encodes a number of glycosyl hydrolases. Many of these enzymes have been shown in vitro to degrade specific glycosides that presumably serve as carbon and energy sources for the organism. However, because of the broad substrate specificity of many glycosyl hydrolases, it is difficult to determine the physiological substr...

Mangrove communities provide habitat for many terrestrial and aquatic species and act as nurseries and breeding grounds for fish, crustaceans, and birds. They also protect coastal areas from erosion and storm events. However, globally 35% of mangrove habitat has been degraded or destroyed, making mangroves one of the most endangered ecosystems on earth. Thus, there is a demand for methods to re...

Petroleum ether, chloroform and methanol extracts of the whole plant of Artemisia maritima Linn were studied in vitro and in vivo for antitrypanosomal activity against Trypanosoma brucei brucei in Swiss albino mice. The extracts were also screened for phytochemicals/secondary metabolites. All the extracts showed trypanocidal activity against T. brucei brucei in vitro with the petroleum ether ex...

The chromosome of Thermotoga maritima strain MSB8 was found to have an 8,870-bp region that is not present in its published sequence. The isolate that was sequenced by The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) in 1999 is apparently a laboratory variant of the isolate deposited at the Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen (DSM 3109) in 1986. This newly sequenced region from the ...

Endophytic bacterial population was isolated from Spartina maritima tissues, a heavy metal bioaccumulator cordgrass growing in the estuaries of Tinto, Odiel, and Piedras River (south west Spain), one of the most polluted areas in the world. Strains were identified and ability to tolerate salt and heavy metals along with plant growth promoting and enzymatic properties were analyzed. A high propo...

CorA is a family of divalent cation transporters ubiquitously present in bacteria and archaea. Although CorA can transport both Mg(2+) and Co(2+) almost equally well, its main role has been suggested to be that of primary Mg(2+) transporter of prokaryotes and hence the regulator of Mg(2+) homeostasis. The reason is that the affinity of CorA for Co(2+) is relatively low and thus considered non-p...

A previous study using data from nrDNA (ITS), maldehy, and petN-psbM (cpDNA) confirmed that allopatric hybridization is occurring at Wallowa, OR, eastern WA, and southeastern BC into western Montana. nrDNA was found to be of less use in detecting hybrids than a single copy nuclear gene (SCN), maldehy. This might to be due to concerted evolution in nrDNA or relictual effects from ancient speciat...