Genome of betaproteobacterium caenimonas sp. Strain SL110 contains a coenzyme F420 biosynthesis gene clusters

Abstract

To probe the genomic properties of microbes thriving in desert lakes, we sequenced the full genome of a betaproteobacterial strain (SL110) belonging to the understudied genus Caenimonas of the family Comamonadaceae. This strain was isolated from a freshwater lake in the western Gobi Desert, Northern China. Its genome contains genes encoding carbon monoxide dehydrogenase, nitrate reductase, nitrite reductase, nitric oxide reductase, and sulfur oxidation enzymes, highlighting the potentially important contribution of this group of bacteria to the cycling of inorganic elements in nature. Unexpectedly, a coenzyme F420biosynthesis gene cluster was identified. A further search for F420 biosynthesis gene homologs in genomic databases suggests the possible widespread presence of F420 biosynthesis gene clusters in proteobacterial genomes.