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''Arthrobacter'' (from the Greek, "jointed small stick”) is a genus of bacteria that is commonly found in soil. All species in this genus are Gram-positive obligate aerobes that are rods during exponential growth and cocci in their stationary phase. Colonies of ''Arthrobacter'' have a greenish metallic center on mineral salts pyridone broth incubated at . This genus is distinctive because of its unusual habit of "snapping division" in which the outer bacterial cell wall ruptures at a joint (hence its name). Microbiologists refer to the type of cell division in which rods break into cocci as reversion. Under the microscope, these dividing cells appear as chevrons ("V" shapes). Other notable characteristics are that it can use pyridone as its sole carbon source, and that its cocci are resistant to desiccation and starvation. One species, ''A. crystallopoietes'', has been shown to reduce hexavalent chromium levels in contaminated soil, suggesting that it may be useful in bioremediation. ''Arthrobacter chlorophenolicus'' sp. nov., a species capable of degrading high concentrations of 4-chlorophenol, may also be useful in bioremediation. ''Arthrobacter'' sp. strain R1 (American Type Culture Collection strain number 49987) has been shown to grow on a variety of aromatic compounds, including homocyclic compounds, such as hydroxybenzoates, as well as N-heterocycles, including pyridine and picoline. ''Arthrobacter'' sp H65-7 produces the enzyme inulase II that converts inulin into difructose anhydride (DFA). DFA is a promising nutrient for fighting osteoporis, because it helps absorption of calcium in the intestines. The enzyme Alu obtained from ''Arthrobacter luteus'' is able to cleave Alu sequences in human DNA, causing the kind of gene sequence to be named after the enzyme. Alu are a group of moderately repetitive gene sequences (300bp in length). Alu sequences make up 6-8% of the human genome.〔Marks A. Basic Medical Biochemistry: a Clinical Approach 3ed, p. 248.〕 ==References== 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Arthrobacter」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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