Analysis of anoxybacillus genomes from the aspects of lifestyle adaptations, prophage diversity, and carbohydrate metabolism

PLoS One. 2014 Mar 6;9(6):e90549. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0090549. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Species of Anoxybacillus are widespread in geothermal springs, manure, and milk-processing plants. The genus is composed of 22 species and two subspecies, but the relationship between its lifestyle and genome is little understood. In this study, two high-quality draft genomes were generated from Anoxybacillus spp. SK3-4 and DT3-1, isolated from Malaysian hot springs. De novo assembly and annotation were performed, followed by comparative genome analysis with the complete genome of Anoxybacillus flavithermus WK1 and two additional draft genomes, of A. flavithermus TNO-09.006 and A. kamchatkensis G10. The genomes of Anoxybacillus spp. are among the smaller of the family Bacillaceae. Despite having smaller genomes, their essential genes related to lifestyle adaptations at elevated temperature, extreme pH, and protection against ultraviolet are complete. Due to the presence of various competence proteins, Anoxybacillus spp. SK3-4 and DT3-1 are able to take up foreign DNA fragments, and some of these transferred genes are important for the survival of the cells. The analysis of intact putative prophage genomes shows that they are highly diversified. Based on the genome analysis using SEED, many of the annotated sequences are involved in carbohydrate metabolism. The presence of glycosyl hydrolases among the Anoxybacillus spp. was compared, and the potential applications of these unexplored enzymes are suggested here. This is the first study that compares Anoxybacillus genomes from the aspect of lifestyle adaptations, the capacity for horizontal gene transfer, and carbohydrate metabolism.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Physiological*
  • Anoxybacillus / enzymology
  • Anoxybacillus / genetics*
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Carbohydrate Metabolism / genetics*
  • DNA Repair
  • DNA, Bacterial / genetics
  • Gene Transfer, Horizontal
  • Genetic Variation
  • Genome, Bacterial
  • Genomic Instability
  • Glycoside Hydrolases / genetics
  • Hot Springs / microbiology
  • Molecular Sequence Annotation
  • Multigene Family
  • Phylogeny
  • Prophages / genetics*
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Viral Proteins / genetics
  • Water Microbiology

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • DNA, Bacterial
  • Viral Proteins
  • Glycoside Hydrolases

Grants and funding

This study was financially supported by the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia GUP Grant 04H00 and University of Malaya-Ministry of Higher Education High Impact Research Grant (UMMOHE HIR Grant No. H-50001-A000027). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.