Draft Genome Sequence of a Highly Pigmented Bacterium Paracoccus marcusii KGP Capable of Producing Galacto-oligosaccharides Synthesising Enzyme.

The genome of Paracoccus marcusii KGP, isolated from the marine sediment collected from the coast of the Bay of Bengal, was sequenced using Oxford Nanopore sequencing technology. The assembled genome sequence consists of seven contigs and has a 4,085,678 bp circular chromosome with 1647 coding genes and a G+C content of 66.7%. Besides, the genome of P. marcusii KGP contains three copies of the rrn operon. The genes coding for the industrially relevant enzymes and secondary metabolites such as ß-galactosidase, protease, amylase, ß-glucosidase, ectoine, indigoidine, and carotenoid biosynthesis clusters were also identified in the genome. When the ß-galactosidase extracted from P. marcusii KGP was mixed with a high concentration of lactose, galacto-oligosaccharides were produced, which revealed the transgalactosylation property of the enzyme. The genome sequence of P. marcusii KGP was found to have an average nucleotide identity value of 96.16 and a digital DNA-DNA hybridisation value of 73.90% with the genome sequence of P. marcusii CGMCC. Furthermore, by comparing the genome sequences of both strains, it was found that the size of the KGP genome was large, indicating the possibility of strain-specific genes in addition to core genes.

Comparative data analsysis of two multi-drug resistant homoserine lactone and rhamnolipid producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa from diabetic foot infected patient.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa generally forms strong biofilm during chronic condition of wound. The whole mechanism of biofilm formation works in tandem with quorum sensing circuit of the organism in order to produce virulence. Here we report the draft genome sequence of two diabetic foot ulcer Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates (VIT PC 7 and VIT PC 9) displaying homoserine lactone, rhamnolipid producing, biofilm phenotype and antibiotic resistance genes related to carbapenem, aminoglycoside, beta- lactamase and tetracycline resistance. The whole genome sequencing library was prepared according to the Oxford Nanopore's SQK-LSK108 kit protocol on Oxford Nanopore's Minion platform. The 7.1 Mb and 6.3-Mb draft genome sequence with GC content of 65.8% and 66.4% respectively provides insight into their resistance mechanism and virulence factors.

Genome Sequence of Bacillus vallismortis TD3, a Salt-Tolerant Strain Isolated from the Sediments of a Solar Saltern in Tamil Nadu, India.

Various Bacillus spp. capable of producing enzymes with industrially desirable properties have been isolated from adverse environments. Here, we announce the 3.91-Mbp draft genome sequence of a moderately salt-resistant Bacillus vallismortis strain, TD3, capable of producing several industrially relevant enzymes.

Genome Sequence of a Moderately Halophilic Bacillus cereus Strain, TS2, Isolated from Saltern Sediments.

We report the 5.3-Mbp genome sequence of Bacillus cereus strain TS2, which was isolated from the sediments of a solar saltern in southern India. Genome analysis of B. cereus TS2, a salt-resistant strain, will improve our understanding of how B. cereus, a food pathogen, responds to hyperosmotic stress.

Genetic variability in selected date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivars of United Arab Emirates using ISSR and DAMD markers.

Nine (9) different date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivars from UAE, which differ in their flower timings were selected to determine the polymorphism and genetic relationship between these cultivars. Hereditary differences and interrelationships were assessed utilizing inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) and directed amplification of minisatellite DNA region (DAMD) primers. Analysis on eight DAMD and five ISSR markers produced total of 113 amplicon including 99 polymorphic and 14 monomorphic alleles with a polymorphic percentage of 85.45. The average polymorphic information content for the two-marker system was almost similar (DAMD, 0.445 and ISSR, 0.459). UPGMA based clustering of DAMD and ISSR revealed that mid-season cultivars, Mkh (Khlas) and MB (Barhee) grouped together to form a subcluster in both the marker systems. The genetic similarity analysis followed by clustering of the cumulative data from the DAMD and ISSR resulted in two major clusters with two early-season cultivars (ENg and Ekn), two mid-season cultivars (MKh and MB) and one late-season cultivar (Lkhs) in cluster 1, cluster 2 includes two late-season cultivars, one early-season cultivar and one mid-season cultivar. The cluster analysis of both DAMD and ISSR marker revealed that, the patterns of variation between some of the tested cultivars were similar in both DNA marker systems. Hence, the present study signifies the applicability of DAMD and ISSR marker system in detecting genetic diversity of date palm cultivars flowering at different seasons. This may facilitate the conservation and improvement of date palm cultivars in the future.

Homotypic clustering of OsMYB4 binding site motifs in promoters of the rice genome and cellular-level implications on sheath blight disease resistance.

The promoter regions (1 kb upstream sequences) of 45,836 annotated genes of rice were analyzed for the presence of OsMYB4 binding sites using a Perl program algorithm. Based on the homotypic clustering concept, 113 promoters were found to have more than 4 binding site motifs. Among the downstream genes of these promoters, five genes which are known to have a role in disease resistance were selected and the binding capacity of OsMYB4 protein in the promoter regions was analyzed by docking studies. Expression level of these genes was analyzed by RT-PCR in Rhizoctonia solani infected rice seedlings. Upon pathogen challenge, higher expression of aminotransferase, ankyrin and WRKY 12 genes was observed corresponding to higher expression of Osmyb4. Over-expression of Osmyb4 cDNA in rice leaf tissues by agro-infection failed to result in similar over-expression of aminotransferase, ankyrin and WRKY 12 as expected. Although the role of OsMYB4 in sheath blight resistance was found to be definitive based on our initial results, artificial over-expression of this TF was observed to be insufficient in regulating the disease resistance related genes.

BcXTH1, a Brassica campestris homologue of Arabidopsis XTH9, is associated with cell expansion.

Xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/hydrolases (XTHs) are a group of the enzymes that are responsible for reorganization of the cellulose-xyloglucan framework by catalyzing cleavage and religation of the xyloglucan chains in the plant cell wall. In this study, we report the isolation and characterization of a XTH gene from a pistil cDNA library of Brassica campestris. Sequence analysis of the gene, designated BcXTH1, revealed that it is homologous to the XTH9 gene of Arabidopsis. The highly conserved domain (DEIDFEFLG) found among all XTHs was also present in BcXTH1 but with the two amino acid substitutions (NEFDFEFLG) also found in Arabidopsis XTH9. These results suggest that BcXTH1 is the B. campestris homologue of XTH9. Expression analysis of BcXTH1 revealed that it was expressed in most of the plant organs. In situ hybridization showed that the gene is highly expressed in the floral primodia, especially in the epidermal cell layer. Southern blot analysis indicated that the BcXTH1 gene exists as a multi-copy gene in the B. campestris genome. The function of the BcXTH1 gene was deduced from using an overexpression strategy in Arabidopsis. Interestingly, the transgenic plants showed a pronounced cell expansion phenotype. Immunoelectron microscopy shows that BcXTH1 is localized almost exclusively to the cell wall, supporting our conclusion that it participates in the regulation of cell expansion in B. campestris.

OsPPR1, a pentatricopeptide repeat protein of rice is essential for the chloroplast biogenesis.

In this paper, we report a novel pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) protein gene in rice. PPR, a characteristic repeat motif consisted of tandem 35 amino acids, has been found in various biological systems including plant. Sequence analysis revealed that the gene designated OsPPR1 consisted of an open reading frame of 2433 nucleotides encoding 810 amino acids that include 11 PPR motifs. Blast search result indicated that the gene did not align with any of the characterized PPR genes in plant. The OsPPR1 gene was found to contain a putative chloroplast transit peptide in the N-terminal region, suggesting that the gene product targets to the chloroplast. Southern blot hybridization indicated that the OsPPR1 is the member of a gene family within the rice genome. Expression analysis and immunoblot analysis suggested that the OsPPR1 was accumulated mainly in rice leaf. Antisense transgenic strategy was used to suppress the expression of OsPPR1 and the resulted transgenic rice showed the typical phenotypes of chlorophyll-deficient mutants; albinism and lethality. Cytological observation using microscopy revealed that the antisense transgenic plant contained a significant defect in the chloroplast development. Taken together, the results suggest that the OsPPR1 is a nuclear gene of rice, encoding the PPR protein that might play a role in the chloroplast biogenesis. This is the first report on the PPR protein required for the chloroplast biogenesis in rice.