Complete Genome Sequence of Paenibacillus polymyxa CR1, a Plant Growth-Promoting Bacterium Isolated from the Corn Rhizosphere Exhibiting Potential for Biocontrol, Biomass Degradation, and Biofuel Production

Extracellular ligninases production and lignin degradation by Paenibacillus polymyxa

Bacteria represent an attractive source for the isolation and identification of potentially useful microorganisms for lignin depolymerization, a process required for the use of agricultural waste. In this work, ten autochthonous bacteria isolated from straw, cow manure, and composts were characterized for potential use in the biodelignification of the waste. A comparison of the ability to degrade lignin and the efficiency of ligninolytic enzymes was performed in bacteria grown in media with lignin as a sole carbon source (LLM, 3.5g/L lignin-alkali) and in complex media supplemented with All-Ban fiber (FLM, 1.5g/L). Bacterial isolates showed different abilities to degrade lignin, they decreased the lignin concentration from 7.6 to 18.6% in LLM and from 11.1 to 44.8% in FLM. They also presented the activity of manganese peroxidase, lignin peroxidases, and laccases with different specific activities. However, strain 26 identified as Paenibacillus polymyxa by sequencing the 16S rRNA showed the highest activity of lignin peroxidase and the ability to degrade efficiently lignocellulose. In addition, P. polymyxa showed the highest potential (desirability ≥ 0.795) related to the best combination of properties to depolymerize lignin from biomass. The results suggest that P. polymyxa has a coordinated lignin degradation system constituted of lignin peroxidase, manganese peroxidase, and laccase enzymes.

Pan-genome analysis of Paenibacillus polymyxa strains reveals the mechanism of plant growth promotion and biocontrol

Rapid development of gene sequencing technologies has led to an exponential increase in microbial sequencing data. Genome research of a single organism does not capture the changes in the characteristics of genetic information within a species. Pan-genome analysis gives us a broader perspective to study the complete genetic information of a species. Paenibacillus polymyxa is a Gram-positive bacterium and an important plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium with the ability to produce multiple antibiotics, such as fusaricidin, lantibiotic, paenilan, and polymyxin. Our study explores the pan-genome of 14 representative P. polymyxa strains isolated from around the world. Heap's law model and curve fitting confirmed an open pan-genome of P. polymyxa. The phylogenetic and collinearity analyses reflected that the evolutionary classification of P. polymyxa strains are not associated with geographical area and ecological niches. Few genes related to phytohormone synthesis and phosphate solubilization were conserved; however, the nif cluster gene associated with nitrogen fixation exists only in some strains. This finding is indicative of nitrogen fixing ability is not stable in P. polymyxa. Analysis of antibiotic gene clusters in P. polymyxa revealed the presence of these genes in both core and accessory genomes. This observation indicates that the difference in living environment led to loss of ability to synthesize antibiotics in some strains. The current pan-genomic analysis of P. polymyxa will help us understand the mechanisms of biological control and plant growth promotion. It will also promote the use of P. polymyxa in agriculture.

Complete Genome Sequence of Industrial Biocontrol Strain Paenibacillus polymyxa HY96-2 and Further Analysis of Its Biocontrol Mechanism

Paenibacillus polymyxa (formerly known as Bacillus polymyxa) has been extensively studied for agricultural applications as a plant-growth-promoting rhizobacterium and is also an important biocontrol agent. Our team has developed the P. polymyxa strain HY96-2 from the tomato rhizosphere as the first microbial biopesticide based on P. polymyxa for controlling plant diseases around the world, leading to the commercialization of this microbial biopesticide in China. However, further research is essential for understanding its precise biocontrol mechanisms. In this paper, we report the complete genome sequence of HY96-2 and the results of a comparative genomic analysis between different P. polymyxa strains. The complete genome size of HY96-2 was found to be 5.75 Mb and 5207 coding sequences were predicted. HY96-2 was compared with seven other P. polymyxa strains for which complete genome sequences have been published, using phylogenetic tree, pan-genome, and nucleic acid co-linearity analysis. In addition, the genes and gene clusters involved in biofilm formation, antibiotic synthesis, and systemic resistance inducer production were compared between strain HY96-2 and two other strains, namely, SC2 and E681. The results revealed that all three of the P. polymyxa strains have the ability to control plant diseases via the mechanisms of colonization (biofilm formation), antagonism (antibiotic production), and induced resistance (systemic resistance inducer production). However, the variation of the corresponding genes or gene clusters between the three strains may lead to different antimicrobial spectra and biocontrol efficacies. Two possible pathways of biofilm formation in P. polymyxa were reported for the first time after searching the KEGG database. This study provides a scientific basis for the further optimization of the field applications and quality standards of industrial microbial biopesticides based on HY96-2. It may also serve as a reference for studying the differences in antimicrobial spectra and biocontrol capability between different biocontrol agents.

A comparative evaluation of genome assembly reconciliation tools

Background

The majority of eukaryotic genomes are unfinished due to the algorithmic challenges of assembling them. A variety of assembly and scaffolding tools are available, but it is not always obvious which tool or parameters to use for a specific genome size and complexity. It is, therefore, common practice to produce multiple assemblies using different assemblers and parameters, then select the best one for public release. A more compelling approach would allow one to merge multiple assemblies with the intent of producing a higher quality consensus assembly, which is the objective of assembly reconciliation.

Results

Several assembly reconciliation tools have been proposed in the literature, but their strengths and weaknesses have never been compared on a common dataset. We fill this need with this work, in which we report on an extensive comparative evaluation of several tools. Specifically, we evaluate contiguity, correctness, coverage, and the duplication ratio of the merged assembly compared to the individual assemblies provided as input.

Conclusions

None of the tools we tested consistently improved the quality of the input GAGE and synthetic assemblies. Our experiments show an increase in contiguity in the consensus assembly when the original assemblies already have high quality. In terms of correctness, the quality of the results depends on the specific tool, as well as on the quality and the ranking of the input assemblies. In general, the number of misassemblies ranges from being comparable to the best of the input assembly to being comparable to the worst of the input assembly.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13059-017-1213-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Isolation, identification and characterization of Paenibacillus polymyxa CR1 with potentials for biopesticide, biofertilization, biomass degradation and biofuel production

BACKGROUND

Paenibacillus polymyxa is a plant-growth promoting rhizobacterium that could be exploited as an environmentally friendlier alternative to chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Various strains have been isolated that can benefit agriculture through antimicrobial activity, nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, plant hormone production, or lignocellulose degradation. However, no single strain has yet been identified in which all of these advantageous traits have been confirmed.

RESULTS

P. polymyxa CR1 was isolated from degrading corn roots from southern Ontario, Canada. It was shown to possess in vitro antagonistic activities against the common plant pathogens Phytophthora sojae P6497 (oomycete), Rhizoctonia solani 1809 (basidiomycete fungus), Cylindrocarpon destructans 2062 (ascomycete fungus), Pseudomonas syringae DC3000 (bacterium), and Xanthomonas campestris 93-1 (bacterium), as well as Bacillus cereus (bacterium), an agent of food-borne illness. P. polymyxa CR1 enhanced growth of maize, potato, cucumber, Arabidopsis, and tomato plants; utilized atmospheric nitrogen and insoluble phosphorus; produced the phytohormone indole-3-acetic acid (IAA); and degraded and utilized the major components of lignocellulose (lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose).

CONCLUSIONS

P. polymyxa CR1 has multiple beneficial traits that are relevant to sustainable agriculture and the bio-economy. This strain could be developed for field application in order to control pathogens, promote plant growth, and degrade crop residues after harvest.

Precursor Amino Acids Inhibit Polymyxin E Biosynthesis in Paenibacillus polymyxa, Probably by Affecting the Expression of Polymyxin E Biosynthesis-Associated Genes

Polymyxin E belongs to cationic polypeptide antibiotic bearing four types of direct precursor amino acids including L-2,4-diaminobutyric acid (L-Dab), L-Leu, D-Leu, and L-Thr. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of addition of precursor amino acids during fermentation on polymyxin E biosynthesis in Paenibacillus polymyxa. The results showed that, after 35 h fermentation, addition of direct precursor amino acids to certain concentration significantly inhibited polymyxin E production and affected the expression of genes involved in its biosynthesis. L-Dab repressed the expression of polymyxin synthetase genes pmxA and pmxE, as well as 2,4-diaminobutyrate aminotransferase gene ectB; both L-Leu and D-Leu repressed the pmxA expression. In addition, L-Thr affected the expression of not only pmxA, but also regulatory genes spo0A and abrB. As L-Dab precursor, L-Asp repressed the expression of ectB, pmxA, and pmxE. Moreover, it affected the expression of spo0A and abrB. In contrast, L-Phe, a nonprecursor amino acid, had no obvious effect on polymyxin E biosynthesis and those biosynthesis-related genes expression. Taken together, our data demonstrated that addition of precursor amino acids during fermentation will inhibit polymyxin E production probably by affecting the expression of its biosynthesis-related genes.

Genomic analysis of six new Geobacillus strains reveals highly conserved carbohydrate degradation architectures and strategies

In this work we report the whole genome sequences of six new Geobacillus xylanolytic strains along with the genomic analysis of their capability to degrade carbohydrates. The six sequenced Geobacillus strains described here have a range of GC contents from 43.9% to 52.5% and clade with named Geobacillus species throughout the entire genus. We have identified a ~200 kb unique super-cluster in all six strains, containing five to eight distinct carbohydrate degradation clusters in a single genomic region, a feature not seen in other genera. The Geobacillus strains rely on a small number of secreted enzymes located within distinct clusters for carbohydrate utilization, in contrast to most biomass-degrading organisms which contain numerous secreted enzymes located randomly throughout the genomes. All six strains are able to utilize fructose, arabinose, xylose, mannitol, gluconate, xylan, and α-1,6-glucosides. The gene clusters for utilization of these seven substrates have identical organization and the individual proteins have a high percent identity to their homologs. The strains show significant differences in their ability to utilize inositol, sucrose, lactose, α-mannosides, α-1,4-glucosides and arabinan.

Draft Genome Sequence of Paenibacillus polymyxa EBL06, a Plant Growth-Promoting Bacterium Isolated from Wheat Phyllosphere

Paenibacillus polymyxa strain EBL06 is a plant growth-promoting bacterium with high antifungal activity. The estimated genome of this strain is 5.68 Mb in size and harbors 4,792 coding sequences (CDSs).

Development and validation of an rDNA operon based primer walking strategy applicable to de novo bacterial genome finishing

Advances in sequencing technology have drastically increased the depth and feasibility of bacterial genome sequencing. However, little information is available that details the specific techniques and procedures employed during genome sequencing despite the large numbers of published genomes. Shotgun approaches employed by second-generation sequencing platforms has necessitated the development of robust bioinformatics tools for in silico assembly, and complete assembly is limited by the presence of repetitive DNA sequences and multi-copy operons. Typically, re-sequencing with multiple platforms and laborious, targeted Sanger sequencing are employed to finish a draft bacterial genome. Here we describe a novel strategy based on the identification and targeted sequencing of repetitive rDNA operons to expedite bacterial genome assembly and finishing. Our strategy was validated by finishing the genome of Paenibacillus polymyxa strain CR1, a bacterium with potential in sustainable agriculture and bio-based processes. An analysis of the 38 contigs contained in the P. polymyxa strain CR1 draft genome revealed 12 repetitive rDNA operons with varied intragenic and flanking regions of variable length, unanimously located at contig boundaries and within contig gaps. These highly similar but not identical rDNA operons were experimentally verified and sequenced simultaneously with multiple, specially designed primer sets. This approach also identified and corrected significant sequence rearrangement generated during the initial in silico assembly of sequencing reads. Our approach reduces the required effort associated with blind primer walking for contig assembly, increasing both the speed and feasibility of genome finishing. Our study further reinforces the notion that repetitive DNA elements are major limiting factors for genome finishing. Moreover, we provided a step-by-step workflow for genome finishing, which may guide future bacterial genome finishing projects.

Comparative and genetic analysis of the four sequenced Paenibacillus polymyxa genomes reveals a diverse metabolism and conservation of genes relevant to plant-growth promotion and competitiveness

BACKGROUND

Members of the genus Paenibacillus are important plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria that can serve as bio-reactors. Paenibacillus polymyxa promotes the growth of a variety of economically important crops. Our lab recently completed the genome sequence of Paenibacillus polymyxa CR1. As of January 2014, four P. polymyxa genomes have been completely sequenced but no comparative genomic analyses have been reported.

RESULTS

Here we report the comparative and genetic analyses of four sequenced P. polymyxa genomes, which revealed a significantly conserved core genome. Complex metabolic pathways and regulatory networks were highly conserved and allow P. polymyxa to rapidly respond to dynamic environmental cues. Genes responsible for phytohormone synthesis, phosphate solubilization, iron acquisition, transcriptional regulation, σ-factors, stress responses, transporters and biomass degradation were well conserved, indicating an intimate association with plant hosts and the rhizosphere niche. In addition, genes responsible for antimicrobial resistance and non-ribosomal peptide/polyketide synthesis are present in both the core and accessory genome of each strain. Comparative analyses also reveal variations in the accessory genome, including large plasmids present in strains M1 and SC2. Furthermore, a considerable number of strain-specific genes and genomic islands are irregularly distributed throughout each genome. Although a variety of plant-growth promoting traits are encoded by all strains, only P. polymyxa CR1 encodes the unique nitrogen fixation cluster found in other Paenibacillus sp.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study revealed that genomic loci relevant to host interaction and ecological fitness are highly conserved within the P. polymyxa genomes analysed, despite variations in the accessory genome. This work suggets that plant-growth promotion by P. polymyxa is mediated largely through phytohormone production, increased nutrient availability and bio-control mechanisms. This study provides an in-depth understanding of the genome architecture of this species, thus facilitating future genetic engineering and applications in agriculture, industry and medicine. Furthermore, this study highlights the current gap in our understanding of complex plant biomass metabolism in Gram-positive bacteria.

Complete Genome Sequence of Paenibacillus polymyxa SQR-21, a Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacterium with Antifungal Activity and Rhizosphere Colonization Ability

Here we report the complete genome sequence of a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR), Paenibacillus polymyxa SQR-21, which consists of one circular chromosome of 5,828,438 bp with 5,024 coding sequences (CDS). The data presented highlight multiple sets of functional genes associated with its plant-beneficial characteristics.