Rhodococcus rhodochrous

General Information

Rhodococcus rhodochrous is a fascinating microorganism known for its remarkable metabolic versatility and biotechnological potential. This bacterium is capable of degrading a wide range of organic compounds, including pollutants such as hydrocarbons, making it a valuable agent in bioremediation efforts. One of the most intriguing aspects of R. rhodochrous is its ability to produce a variety of enzymes, such as nitrile hydratases and amidases, which are of significant interest in industrial applications for the synthesis of fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Another unique feature of R. rhodochrous is its ability to undergo morphological changes in response to environmental conditions, which can include the formation of mycelium-like structures. This adaptability is thought to contribute to its survival and efficiency in diverse and often harsh environments. Moreover, R. rhodochrous has been studied for its potential in biocatalysis and biotransformation processes. Its enzymes can catalyze reactions with high specificity and efficiency, which is highly desirable in the production of enantiomerically pure compounds. In addition to its environmental and industrial applications, R. rhodochrous has also been explored for its role in agriculture. It has been shown to promote plant growth and protect against certain plant pathogens, making it a candidate for use in sustainable agricultural practices. Overall, Rhodococcus rhodochrous stands out due to its metabolic diversity, environmental resilience, and broad application potential, making it a subject of ongoing research and interest in various scientific and industrial fields.

Rhodococcus rhodochrous is a fascinating bacterium known for its remarkable metabolic versatility and ability to degrade a wide range of organic compounds, including pollutants. This organism is particularly interesting due to its capacity to break down complex hydrocarbons, making it a valuable candidate for bioremediation efforts in contaminated environments. Its ability to utilize various carbon sources, including aromatic compounds, sets it apart from many other microorganisms. One of the unique features of R. rhodochrous is its production of a variety of enzymes, such as laccases and peroxidases, which play a crucial role in the degradation of lignin and other recalcitrant materials. This enzymatic activity not only contributes to its ecological role in nutrient cycling but also has potential applications in industrial processes, such as biopulping and bioconversion of waste materials. Additionally, R. rhodochrous has been studied for its potential in the production of valuable metabolites, including polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), which are biodegradable plastics. This characteristic highlights its potential in sustainable development and environmental conservation. Furthermore, the organism's ability to thrive in diverse environments, including soil and water, showcases its ecological adaptability. Its presence in various habitats indicates its role in maintaining ecosystem health and stability. Overall, Rhodococcus rhodochrous stands out as a model organism for research in environmental microbiology, biotechnology, and metabolic engineering.

Taxonomy

Superkingdom: Bacteria

Phylum: Actinomycetota

Class: Actinomycetes

Order: Mycobacteriales

Family: Nocardiaceae

Genus: Rhodococcus

Species: Rhodococcus rhodochrous

NCBI ID

1829

Genome Info

FTP Path:
ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genomes/all/GCF/029/457/455/GCF_029457455.1_ASM2945745v1

File for sequence-based predictions:
GCF_029457455.1_ASM2945745v1_genomic.fasta

Descriptions

Clinical Implications and Relevance

Source: gpt-4o-mini-2024-07-18

The microorganism Rhodococcus rhodochrous is a gram-positive bacterium known for its environmental versatility and potential clinical implications. It is primarily recognized for its role in biodegradation of pollutants, but it also has notable associations with human health. Infections caused by Rhodococcus rhodochrous are rare but can occur, particularly in immunocompromised individuals. These infections may manifest as pneumonia, skin lesions, or abscesses, highlighting its pathogenic potential in vulnerable populations. One of the significant clinical concerns regarding Rhodococcus rhodochrous is its antimicrobial resistance. This organism has shown resistance to multiple antibiotics, complicating treatment options for infections. The mechanisms of resistance are not fully understood but may involve the production of beta-lactamases and other resistance determinants, which can hinder effective therapeutic interventions. In terms of immune evasion, Rhodococcus rhodochrous can survive within macrophages, allowing it to evade the host's immune response. This ability to persist in immune cells contributes to its pathogenicity and complicates the management of infections. Despite its potential as a pathogen, Rhodococcus rhodochrous also has beneficial applications. It is being explored for use in probiotics and bioremediation, leveraging its metabolic capabilities to degrade environmental pollutants. Research into its use in therapeutics is ongoing, particularly in the context of its enzymatic activities that may have applications in drug development. Overall, while Rhodococcus rhodochrous is primarily an environmental organism, its clinical implications, particularly in terms of infections, antimicrobial resistance, and potential therapeutic applications, warrant further investigation and awareness in clinical settings.

Habitat and Ecological Niches

Source: gpt-4o-mini-2024-07-18

Rhodococcus rhodochrous is a versatile bacterium commonly found in a variety of terrestrial environments and soil ecosystems. This microorganism thrives in nutrient-rich soils, particularly those that are contaminated with organic pollutants, showcasing its remarkable ability to degrade a wide range of hydrocarbons and other toxic compounds. Its presence is often noted in agricultural lands, where it plays a crucial role in the bioremediation of soil, helping to restore ecological balance by breaking down harmful substances into less toxic forms. In addition to its role in bioremediation, Rhodococcus rhodochrous is also associated with plant rhizospheres, where it can establish beneficial relationships with plant roots. This symbiotic interaction enhances nutrient availability and promotes plant growth, demonstrating the bacterium's importance in soil health and agricultural productivity. Furthermore, Rhodococcus rhodochrous exhibits a remarkable ability to adapt to various environmental conditions, including extreme temperatures and pH levels, which allows it to inhabit diverse ecological niches. Its metabolic versatility enables it to utilize a wide range of carbon sources, making it a key player in carbon cycling within its habitats. Overall, Rhodococcus rhodochrous is a significant microorganism in soil biomes, contributing to both ecological stability and the remediation of contaminated environments.

Industrial Application

Source: gpt-4o-mini-2024-07-18

The microorganism Rhodococcus rhodochrous has shown significant potential in various industrial applications due to its versatile metabolic capabilities. One of the most notable areas is in biotechnology, where Rhodococcus rhodochrous is utilized for its ability to perform biodegradation of complex organic compounds, including pollutants such as hydrocarbons and pesticides. This makes it a valuable agent in waste management processes, particularly in the bioremediation of contaminated soils and water, where it can effectively break down harmful substances into less toxic forms. In the realm of biofuel production, Rhodococcus rhodochrous has been studied for its capacity to convert lignocellulosic biomass into fermentable sugars, which can then be transformed into bioethanol. This process often involves fermentation, where the organism's metabolic pathways are harnessed to optimize the yield of biofuels from renewable resources. Furthermore, Rhodococcus rhodochrous is recognized for its role in pharmaceutical development. It is known to produce various enzymes, including those involved in the synthesis of chiral intermediates, which are crucial for the production of many pharmaceuticals. The enzymatic activity of this microorganism can be exploited in enzyme production processes, leading to more efficient and environmentally friendly methods of drug synthesis. Overall, the diverse capabilities of Rhodococcus rhodochrous make it a promising candidate for various industries, particularly in the fields of biotechnology, waste management, biofuel production, and pharmaceutical development, where its unique metabolic processes can be effectively applied.

Phenotypes and Predictions

The table shows the phenotypes and predictions. Cell colors indicate the class of the value. When literature-based data is available, a checkmark (✓) indicates a correct prediction, while an ✗ indicates an incorrect prediction.

Literature-based phenotypes: 10

LLM predicted phenotypes: 3

Phenotype	High-quality annotation	google/gemma-7b-it	google/gemini-flash-1.5	openai/gpt-3.5-turbo-0125	google/gemini-pro-1.5	anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet	google/palm-2-chat-bison-32k	meta-llama/llama-3-8b-instruct:nitro	mistralai/mixtral-8x7b-instruct:nitro	perplexity/llama-3-sonar-small-32k-chat	anthropic/claude-3-haiku:beta	meta-llama/llama-3-70b-instruct:nitro	meta-llama/llama-3-70b-instruct:nitro	openai/gpt-4	openai/gpt-4	microsoft/wizardlm-2-8x22b	microsoft/wizardlm-2-8x22b	openai/gpt-4o	openai/gpt-4o	microsoft/phi-3-mini-128k-instruct	microsoft/phi-3-mini-128k-instruct	google/gemini-pro	google/gemini-pro	mistralai/mistral-7b-instruct	mistralai/mistral-7b-instruct	openchat/openchat-7b	openchat/openchat-7b
Motility	FALSE	true ✗	false ✓	true ✗	true ✗	false ✓	true ✗	false ✓	false ✓	true ✗	false ✓	true ✗	true ✗	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	true ✗	true ✗	true ✗	true ✗	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓
Gram staining	gram stain positive	gram stain negative ✗	gram stain positive ✓	gram stain positive ✓	gram stain positive ✓	gram stain positive ✓	gram stain positive ✓	gram stain positive ✓	gram stain positive ✓	gram stain positive ✓	gram stain positive ✓	N/A	gram stain positive ✓	N/A	gram stain positive ✓	N/A	gram stain positive ✓	N/A	gram stain positive ✓	N/A	gram stain negative ✗	N/A	gram stain positive ✓	N/A	gram stain positive ✓	N/A	gram stain positive ✓
Aerophilicity	aerobic	N/A	N/A	aerobic ✓	aerobic ✓	aerobic ✓	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	aerobic ✓	aerobic ✓	aerobic ✓	aerobic ✓	aerobic ✓	aerobic ✓	aerobic ✓	aerobic ✓	facultatively anaerobic ✗	facultatively anaerobic ✗	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Extreme environment tolerance	TRUE	true ✓	true ✓	false ✗	true ✓	true ✓	false ✗	true ✓	true ✓	true ✓	true ✓	true ✓	true ✓	false ✗	false ✗	true ✓	true ✓	true ✓	true ✓	true ✓	true ✓	false ✗	false ✗	true ✓	true ✓	false ✗	false ✗
Biofilm formation	N/A	true	true	true	true	true	true	true	true	true	true	true	true	true	true	true	true	true	true	true	true	true	true	true	true	true	true
Animal pathogenicity	FALSE	true ✗	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	true ✗	true ✗	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓
Biosafety level	biosafety level 1	biosafety level 2 ✗	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 2 ✗	biosafety level 2 ✗	biosafety level 2 ✗	biosafety level 2 ✗	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 1 ✓	biosafety level 2 ✗	biosafety level 2 ✗
Health association	N/A	true	true	false	true	true	true	true	true	true	true	true	true	false	false	false	false	true	true	true	true	true	true	false	false	true	true
Host association	FALSE	true ✗	true ✗	false ✓	false ✓	true ✗	false ✓	true ✗	true ✗	true ✗	true ✗	true ✗	true ✗	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	true ✗	true ✗	true ✗	true ✗	true ✗	true ✗	true ✗	true ✗
Plant pathogenicity	FALSE	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	true ✗	true ✗
Spore formation	FALSE	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	true ✗	true ✗	true ✗	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓	false ✓
Hemolysis	N/A	alpha	gamma	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Cell shape	bacillus	bacillus ✓	coccus ✗	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	bacillus ✓	coccus ✗	coccus ✗

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