Genomic research on an algicidal marine microorganism, Kordia algicida OT1

Abstract

Ocean covers more than three-quarters of the earth's surface, affecting human life in many ways directly or indirectly. It has been reported that ocean environment contains a variety of biodiversity, supplying reservoirs of unique genetic information and important natural resources. At Marine Biotechnology Research Center at KORDI (www.megrc.re.kr), we are collecting samples from a variety of marine environments such as cold seep, hydrothermal vent, deep sea, sediment, tidal flat area and so on in collaboration with leading scientists to span various physical, chemical and biological environments under agreements with countries involved. The collected samples were pretreated or enriched with various reagents to isolate microorganisms, and then the isolated bacteria were stored systemically based on the analysis of 16S rRNA sequences. The collected resources would be distributed to the public upon request. Genomic approach has been applied to determine whole genome sequence of a limited number of microorganisms collected from various extreme environments, showing extraordinary physiological characteristics. One example is Kordia algicida OT1 isolated from Korea South Sea during algal blooming, displaying remarkable algicidal activity. A draft genome sequencing was recently finished by Moore Foundation, which is available to the public. The information has been put on intensive bioinformatic analysis to elucidate the algicidal mechanism.