Genomic analyses of a novel bioemulsifier-producing Psychrobacillus strain isolated from soil of King George Island, Antarctica

• Published in: Polar Biology
• Main Authors: da Silva, Mariana Barbalho Farias, da Mota, Fabio Faria, Jurelevicius, Diogo, de Carvalho Azevedo, Vasco Ariston, da Costa, Mateus Matiuzzi, Góes-Neto, Aristóteles, Ramos, Rommel Thiago Jucá, de Castro Soares, Siomar, Rosado, Alexandre S., Seldin, Lucy
• Other Authors: Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division, Bioscience Program, Laboratório de Genética Microbiana, Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes (IMPPG), Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS), Bloco I, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902, Brazil, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil, Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco, Petrolina, Brazil, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, PA, Brazil, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e Naturais, Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro, Uberaba, MG, Brazil
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Springer Science and Business Media LLC 2022
• Subjects: King George Island; Antarc*; Antarctica; Polar Biology
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10754/676506; https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-022-03028-1

Cold-adapted bacterial strains are potentially valuable for biotechnological applications involving the production of cold-active enzymes and bioproducts important to various industries. A psychrotolerant, aerobic, Gram-positive, endospore-forming, bioemulsifier-producing strain, named Val9, was isolated from Vale Ulman soil samples, King George Island, Antarctica and identified as a member of the genus Psychrobacillus. To better characterize this novel strain, its whole genome was sequenced revealing a size of 3,986,526 bp with a G + C content of 36.6%, and 4042 predicted coding DNA sequences (CDSs). Digital DNA–DNA hybridization (dDDH) and average nucleotide identity (ANI) analyses between strain Val9 and the type strains of the seven Psychrobacillus species revealed that the highest values were observed with Psychrobacillus psychrodurans DSM11713T but below the conventional thresholds of 70% dDDH and 95% ANI for bacterial species assignment, suggesting that strain Val9 could represent a distinct species. As potential low-temperature adaptation strategies, genes encoding cold shock proteins, transporters for glycine-betaine, carnitine and choline, and enzymes acting against oxidative stress were found in Val9 genome. DEAD-box RNA helicases, important for cold and oxidative tolerance, and a two-component signal transduction system related to plasmatic membrane fluidity as well as biotechnologically important CDSs, related to levan production, were detected. The sacB gene encoding the enzyme levansucrase was exclusive for Val9 and it was not found in the other Psychrobacillus type strains. Altogether, the comparative genomic analyses presented here highlight important metabolic pathways and the biotechnological potential of this novel strain. Supported by grants from Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ). Thanks are due to RECOM (“Rede de ...