Shewanella sediminis HAW-EB3

Shewanella are facultatively anaerobic, Gram-negative bacteria, motile by polar flagella, rod-like, and generally associated with aquatic or marine environments. They are capable of using a variety of compounds as electron acceptors, including oxygen, iron, manganese, uranium, nitrate, nitrite, fumarate, to name but a few. This ability makes Shewanella important for bioremediation of contaminated metals and radioactive wastes. The genus Shewanella comprises 36 recognized and hundreds of uncharacterized cultivable species.Shewanella sediminis HAW-EB3 was isolated from sediment taken at a depth of 215 meters from an unexploded-ordinance-dumping site 50 nautical miles from Halifax Harbor, in the Atlantic Ocean. This organism is able to degrade hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) anaerobically at 10 degrees Celsius . RDX is a member of a family of nitramine compounds which are used in the production of explosives. These chemicals are toxic and can be a major source of contamination of marine and freshwater sediments. Shewanella sediminis HAW-EB3 (NCIMB 14036, DSM 17055) is the type strain and the genome sequence will provide information on the production and regulation of proteins involved in the degradation of RDX. (HAMAP: SHESH)