According to the researchers, who published their findings in the Dec. 13, 2005, issue of Nucleic Acids Research, the bacterium comprises genes that help biosynthesize a pigment that has the lytic activity against the red-tide dinoflagellate Cochlodinium polykrikoides.
The scientists said they found that the 7.2-million-base-pair genome of H. chejuensis contains a multitude of genes of functional equivalence or of possible foreign origin. Functions encoded in the genomic islands include biosynthesis of exopolysaccharides, toxins, polyketides or non-ribosomal peptides, iron utilization, motility, type III protein secretion, and pigmentation.