Kocuria rhizophila DC2201

Kocuria rhizophila (strain ATCC 9341 / NBRC 12708 / DC2201) is a coccoid, halotolerant (tolerated up to 10% NaCl in growth media), phenol-degrading Gram-positive bacterium isolated from the rhizosphere of narrowleaf cattail (Typha angustifolia). Members of the genus Kocuria were isolated from a wide variety of natural sources including mammalian skin, soil, the rhizosphere, fermented foods, clinical specimens, fresh water and marine sediments, suggesting that each Kocuria species is highly adapted to respective ecological niche. K. rhizophila is also important in industrial applications; e.g., due to its small genome size, ability to grow rapidly and at high cell density, and robustness of the cells at various growth conditions, it would be highly advantageous for the development of bacterial bioconversion system which could be used under harsh conditions such as in organic solvents. The presence of probable metabolic pathways for the transformation of phenolic compounds generated from the decomposition of plant materials, and the presence of a large number of genes associated with membrane transport, particularly amino acid transporters and drug efflux pumps, may contribute to the organisms utilization of root exudates as well as the tolerance to various organic compounds. (EBI Integr8)