Shahina Akter

Lysobacter novalis sp. nov., isolated from fallow farmland soil.

A novel bacterial strain, designated THG-PC7(T), was isolated from fallow farmland soil in Yongin, South Korea. Cells of strain THG-PC7(T) were Gram-stain-negative, dark yellow, aerobic, rod-shaped and had gliding motility. Strain THG-PC7(T) grew optimally at 25-35 °C, at pH 7 and in the absence of NaCl. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis identified strain THG-PC7(T) as belonging to the genus Lysobacter, exhibiting highest sequence similarity with Lysobacter ximonensis KCTC 22336(T) (98.7%) followed by Lysobacter niastensis KACC 11588(T) (95.7%). In DNA-DNA hybridization tests, DNA relatedness between strain THG-PC7(T) and its closest phylogenetic neighbour L. ximonensis was below 25%. The DNA G+C content of the novel isolate was determined to be 62.5 mol%. Flexirubin-type pigments were found to be present. The major cellular fatty acids were determined to be iso-C15 : 0, iso-C16 : 0, anteiso-C15 : 0 and iso-C17 : 1ω9c. The major respiratory quinone was identified as ubiquonone-8 (Q8). The predominant polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and an unidentified aminophospolipid. On the basis of results from DNA-DNA hybridization and the polyphasic data, strain THG-PC7(T) represents a novel species of the genus Lysobacter, for which the name Lysobacter novalis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is THG-PC7(T)( = KACC 18276(T) = CCTCC AB 2014319(T)).

Genome Sequencing, a Milestone for Genomic Research and Plant Breeding

Plant breeding programs are often used to improve varieties through creating diverse agronomic traits. During a breeding program, a lot of genetic diversities are created in the genome after different generations through homologous recombination. Genome sequencing technology has revolutionized the discovery of genes and molecular markers associated with diverse agronomic traits in crop improvement programs. Genomic research is now in the peak of success, thus creating new opportunities for crop improvement modern sequencing technology is now capable of sequencing thousands to millions of bases per run. Modern sequencing technologies enable the sequencing of different cultivars with small to complex genomes at a reasonable time and cost. These massive data can be used to identify important agronomic traits of crops such as fruit color, size, ripening, flowering time adaptation, grain yield, and quality maintenance. In addition, they can be used to develop crop varieties. This mini-review is focused on the role of genome sequencing in genomic research and plant breeding for crop improvements.

Undibacterium aquatile sp. nov., isolated from a waterfall.

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, motile and rod-shaped strain, THG-DN7.3T, was isolated from a waterfall. Strain THG-DN7.3T grew well at 18-28 °C and at pH 6.0-7.5 on Reasoners 2A agar. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons, strain THG-DN7.3T was most closely related to Undibacterium jejuense JS4-4T (97.3 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity) and Undibacterium seohonense SHS5-24T (96.5 %). The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 57.4 mol%. The mean DNA-DNA relatedness of strain THG-DN7.3T with U. jejuense KACC 12607T was 40 ± 1 % (reciprocal 50 ± 2.1 %). The major cellular fatty acids of strain THG-DN7.3T were summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c) (47.4 %), C16 : 0 (30.4 %), summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω6c and/or C18 : 1ω7c) (6.8 %) and C12 : 0 (6.2 %). The predominant isoprenoid quinone was ubiquinone-8. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and diphosphatidylglycerol. The results of the DNA-DNA hybridization and genotypic analysis, in combination with chemotaxonomic and physiological data, demonstrated that strain THG-DN7.3T represents a novel species of the genus Undibacterium, for which the name Undibacterium aquatile sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is THG-DN7.3T ( = KCTC 42243T = CCTCC AB 2015119T).

Devosia humi sp. nov., isolated from soil of a Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) garden.

A bacterial isolate, designated strain THG-MM1T, was isolated from soil in Yongin region, Republic of Korea. Strain THG-MM1T was Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile and rod-shaped. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons, strain THG-MM1T was most closely related to Devosia insulae DS-56T (96.5 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity), followed by Devosia yakushimensis Yak96BT (95.7 %) and Devosia albogilva IPL15T (95.2 %). The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 63.7 mol%. The major cellular fatty acids were C16 : 0, summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c) and C18 : 0. The predominant isoprenoid quinone was ubiquinone-10 (Q-10). The major polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol and an unidentified lipid. The combined phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic data showed that strain THG-MM1T represents a novel species of the genus Devosia, for which the name Devosia humi sp. nov. is proposed, with strain THG-MM1T ( = KACC 18281T = CCTCC AB 2015121T) as the type strain.