Genomic plasticity and catabolic potential of Pseudomonas cepacia

The primary goal of this project was to gain information about the size and organization of the genome of Burkholderia cepacia (formerly Pseudomonas cepacia), a microbe which continues to attract attention because of its extraordinary degradative abilities and potential as an agent of bioremediation. This bacterium is no longer considered to be a member of genus Pseudomonas nor does it belong in the gamma-subclass of the proteobacteria, in which the authentic pseudomonads are grouped. It belongs in the less well characterized beta-subclass of the proteobacteria. Technology for manipulation of large DNA fragments developed by Cantor was used to demonstrate that chromosomal multiplicity, a characteristic yet to be observed in a gamma-subclass bacterium, is common among B. cepacia strains. A derivative of Tn5 suitable for determining the chromosomal locations of various B. cepacia genes was also constructed