Arthrobacter luteus

Arthrobacter luteus (ALU) is a species of gram-positive bacteria in the genus "Arthrobacter". "A. luteus" is facultatively anaerobic, pleomorphic, branching, non-motile, non-sporulating, non-acid-fast, catalase-positive and rod-shaped (0.6-1.0 x 0.8-10.0 μm x μm). All members of the "Arthrobacter" genus are obligate aerobes.
A restriction endonuclease enzyme is extracted from the bacterium and acts at the centre of a palindromic tetranucleotide sequence to give even-ended duplex DNA fragments phosphorylated at the 5'-end. The restriction site Alu-I itself is a 4-base cutter: AG/CT. The Alu retrotransposon is named after the bacterium's abbreviation.