Flavobacterium johnsoniae (ATCC 17061) strain UW101 is common in soil and freshwater; degrades chitin and numerous other macro- molecules via direct contact; possible use in biomass conversion.

Flavobacterium johnsoniae (formerly Cytophaga johnsonae ) is an aerobic Gram-negative bacterium that is commonly found in soil and freshwater (1).   It belongs to the large and diverse group of bacteria known as the 'Bacteroidetes' which are also referred to as the 'Cytophaga-Flavobacterium-Bacteroides' group.   F. johnsoniae rapidly digests chitin and many other macromolecules (1, 2).    Chitin is insoluble and relatively resistant to degradation and is one of the most abundant biopolymers on earth (3).   F. johnsoniae does not secrete large amounts of soluble chitinases.   Instead, direct contact of cells with insoluble chitin is required for efficient utilization (4).   Some other Bacteroidetes such as the cellulose digesting Cytophaga hutchinsonii , also require direct contact with their insoluble substrates to digest them, and F. johnsoniae is a model system to study this process.   

Like many Bacteroidetes, F. johnsoniae exhibits the ability to move rapidly over surfaces by a process known as gliding motility (5).   F. johnsoniae has become a model system for studies of this unusual form of motility.   Gliding may be important in digestion of insoluble polymers such as chitin.   All nonmotile mutants of F. johnsoniae display defects in chitin utilization, suggesting that gliding and chitin utilization may be related (4, 6, 7, 8).    

Molecular and genetic techniques are available to analyze F. johnsoniae polysaccharide utilization and gliding motility (9).     Analysis of the F. johnsoniae genome sequence will facilitate additional studies of polysaccharide utilization, which will be important in developing new strategies to utilize these renewable resources.    It will also help determine the mechanism of gliding motility used by F. johnsoniae and related bacteria.   The ease with which F. johnsoniae can be cultivated and genetically manipulated also make it a useful model organism for studies of the basic biology of members of the Bacteroidetes.  

References:

1.   Stanier, R. Y. 1947. Studies on non-fruiting myxobacteria.   I.   Cytophaga johnsonae , N. Sp., A chitin-decomposing myxobacterium. J. Bacteriol. 53: 297-315.
2.   Larkin, J. M. 1989. Nonphotosynthetic, nonfruiting gliding bacteria, p. 2010-2138. In J. T. Staley, M. P. Bryant, N. Pfennig, and J. G. Holt (ed.), Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology. Williams and Wilkins.
3.   Muzzarelli, R. 1999.   Native, industrial, and fossil chitins.   In: Jolles P., Muzzarelli R. (eds) Chitins and chitinases.   Birkhauser, Basel.
4.   McBride, M. J., T. F. Braun , and J. L. Brust.   2003.   Flavobacterium johnsoniae GldH is a lipoprotein that is required for gliding motility and chitin utilization.   J. Bacteriol. 185 :6648-6657. 5.   McBride, M. J.   2001.   Bacterial Gliding Motility:   Multiple mechanisms for cell movement over surfaces.   Annu. Rev. Microbiol.   55 :49-75.
6.   M. J. McBride and T. F. Braun.   2004.   GldI is a lipoprotein that is required for Flavobacterium johnsoniae gliding motility and chitin utilization.   J. Bacteriol.   186 :2295-2302.
7.    T. F. Braun and M. J. McBride.   2005.   Flavobacterium johnsoniae GldJ is a lipoprotein that is required for gliding motility.   J. Bacteriol.   187 :
8.   T. F. Braun and M. J. McBride.   2005.   Flavobacterium johnsoniae gliding motility genes identified by mariner mutagenesis.   J. Bacteriol.   187 :6943-6952.  
9.   McBride, M. J. and M. J. Kempf.   1996.   Development of techniques for the genetic manipulation of the gliding bacterium Cytophaga johnsonae .   J. Bacteriol.   178 :583-590.