Abstract
Bacillus cereus AS_3 and Bacillus cereus AS_5 are bacterial endophytes isolated from sterilized
leaves of the medical plant Alectra sessiliflora, which were previously identified using
16S rRNA sequencing. Here, we present the whole-genome sequencing and annotation of
strains AS_3 and AS_5, the first genome report of Bacillus cereus strains from A. sessiliflora.
The genome of strain AS_3 has 59 contigs, 5 503 542 bp draft circular chromosome,
an N50 of 211,274 bp, and an average G+C content of 35.2%; whereas strain AS_5 has
38 contigs, 5,510,121 bp draft circular chromosome, an N50 of 536,033 bp, and an average
G+C content of 35.2%. A total of 5679 protein-coding genes, 62 genes coding for
RNAs, and 122 pseudogenes in the strain AS_3 genome were identified by the National
Center for Biotechnology Information Prokaryotic Annotation pipeline, whereas a total of
5688 gene protein-coding genes were identified in AS_5, with 60 genes coding for RNAs and
120 pseudogenes. Phenotypic analysis and whole-genome sequencing analysis showed that
AS_3 and AS_5 share similar characteristics, including Gram-positive, motile, rod-shaped,
and endospore-forming have shown a high sequence similarity with Bacillus cereus, type
strain ATCC 14579T. Strains AS_3 and AS_5 had genomic digital DNA–DNA hybridization
(dDDH) with the type strain Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579T of 85.8% and 86%, respectively,
and average nucleotide identities (ANIs) of 98% and 98.01%, respectively. Phylogenomic
analysis confirmed that strains AS_3 and AS_5 share very similar genomic and phenotypic
characteristics, and are closely related to the type strain Bacillus cereus type strain
ATCC 14579T, supporting their classification within the Bacillus cereus species. A total of
10 secondary metabolite gene clusters, including siderophore type petrobactin, terpene type
molybdenum cofactor, non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) type bacillibactin, and
β-lactone type fengycin, were predicted using AntiSMASH software (version 5.0). Putative
genes potentially involved in bioremediation and endophytic lifestyle were identified in the
genome analysis. Genome sequencing of Bacillus cereus AS_3 and Bacillus cereus AS_5 has
provided genomic information and demonstrated potential biotechnological applications.