Abstract
Background:The genus Geobacillus and its associated taxa have been the focal point of numerous thermophilic biotechnological investigations, both at the whole cell and enzyme level. By contrast, comparatively little research has been done on its recently delineated sister genus, Parageobacillus. Here we performed phylogenomic and pan-genomic analyses on a subset of publicly available Parageobacillus genomes to elucidate their biotechnological potential.
Results: Phylogenomic analysis delineated the compared taxa into two distinct genera, Parageobacillus and Saccharococcus. Both genera present open pan-genomes, with the species P. toebii being characterized with the highest novel gene accrual. Diversification of the two genera is driven through the variable presence of plasmids, bacteriophages and transposable elements. Both genera present a range of potentially biotechnologically relevant features, including a source of novel antimicrobials, thermostable enzymes including DNA-active enzymes, carbohydrate active enzymes, proteases, lipases and carboxylesterases. Furthermore, they present a number of metabolic pathways pertinent to degradation of complex hydrocarbons and xenobiotics and for green energy production.
Conclusions: Comparative genomic analyses suggest that Parageobacillus and Saccharococcus can be delineated as two distinct genera, both of which can serve as a rich source of biotechnologically and industrially relevant secondary metabolites, thermostable enzymes and metabolic pathways that warrant further investigation.