Complete genome sequence of natural rubber-degrading, gram-negative bacterium, Rhizobacter gummiphilus strain NS21(T)

Gram-negative natural rubber-degrader, Rhizobacter gummiphilus NS21(T), which was isolated from soil in the botanical garden in Japan, is a newly proposed species of genus of Rhizobacter. It has been reported that the latA1 gene is involved in the natural rubber degradation in this strain. To gain novel insights into natural rubber degradation pathway, the complete genome sequence of this strain was determined. The genome of strain NS21(T) consists of 6,398,096 bp of circular chromosome (GenBank accession number CP015118.1) with G + C content of 69.72%. The genome contains 5687 protein-coding and 68 RNA genes. Among the predicted genes, 4810 genes were categorized as functional COGs. Homology search revealed that existence of latA1 homologous gene (latA2) in this genome. Quantitative reverse-transcription-PCR and deletion analyses indicated that natural rubber degradation of this strain requires latA2 as well as latA1.