Abstract
Pseudomonas citronellolis is a Gram negative, motile gammaproteobacterium belonging to the order Pseudomonadales and the family Pseudomonadaceae. We isolated strain P3B5 from the phyllosphere of basil plants (Ocimum basilicum L.). Here we describe the physiology of this microorganism, its full genome sequence, and detailed annotation. The 6.95 Mbp genome contains 6071 predicted protein coding sequences and 96 RNA coding sequences. P. citronellolis has been the subject of many studies including the investigation of long-chain aliphatic compounds and terpene degradation. Plant leaves are covered by long-chain aliphates making up a waxy layer that is associated with the leaf cuticle. In addition, basil leaves are known to contain high amounts of terpenoid substances, hinting to a potential nutrient niche that might be exploited by P. citronellolis. Furthermore, the isolated strain exhibited resistance to several antibiotics. To evaluate the potential of this strain as source of transferable antibiotic resistance genes on raw consumed herbs we therefore investigated if those resistances are encoded on mobile genetic elements. The availability of the genome will be helpful for comparative genomics of the phylogenetically broad pseudomonads, in particular with the sequence of the P. citronellolis type strain PRJDB205 not yet publicly available. The genome is discussed with respect to a phyllosphere related lifestyle, aliphate and terpenoid degradation, and antibiotic resistance.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40793-016-0190-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
The genus Pseudomonas encompasses a large group of bacteria that are ecologically and functionally very diverse including many human and plant pathogenic species [1], and species with mutualistic host interactions, the most prominent examples of which are biocontrol strains that protect plants from pathogens [2,3,4]
Plant leaves are covered by a cuticle consisting of cutin, an esterified aliphatic polymer [9] that is impregnated and overlaid by intra- and epi-cuticular waxes consisting of very long-chain aliphatic compounds, including alkanes, alcohols, and fatty acids [10]
The ability of P. citronellolis to degrade aliphatic compounds leads to the intriguing possibility that the bacterium may be able to exploit aliphatic compounds as a nutrient source during leaf surface colonization
Summary
The genus Pseudomonas encompasses a large group of bacteria that are ecologically and functionally very diverse including many human and plant pathogenic species [1], and species with mutualistic host interactions, the most prominent examples of which are biocontrol strains that protect plants from pathogens [2,3,4]. The ability of P. citronellolis to degrade terpenoid compounds [11] is another interesting feature that might enable this species to degrade the abundantly available terpene compounds from herbal plants [12] and may represent a growth advantage over other phyllosphere bacteria on such hosts. Classification and general physiological features of the strain P. citronellolis P3B5, as well as the genomic sequence, assembly, annotation, and its putative adaptations to a phyllosphere lifestyle.
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