Complete Genome Sequence of the Butirosin-Producing Bacillus vitellinus NBRC 13296 and Its Reclassification to Paenibacillus chitinolyticus

Butirosins are naturally occurring aminoglycoside (AG) antibiotics featuring a 4,5-disubstituted 2-deoxystreptamine (2-DOS) with a (2S)-4-amino-2-hydroxybutyrate (AHBA) side chain. This side chain has been shown to confer resistance against AG-modifying enzymes, leading to ongoing studies on the butirosin biosynthetic pathway and the corresponding enzymes. Butirosin is produced by Niallia (formerly Bacillus) circulans and Bacillus vitellinus, with most research focused on the first strain. To date, no whole-genome analysis has been performed on B. vitellinus. In this study, we sequenced the complete genome of B. vitellinus NBRC 13296 and performed a comparative analysis of different butirosin biosyntheric gene clusters (BGCs), including those from N. circulans. The complete genome of B. vitellinus NBRC 13296 comprises a 6,331,192-base circular chromosome with GC content of 52.68%. The annotation revealed the presence of 5605 CDSs, 70 tRNA genes, 30 rRNA genes, and 3 ncRNA genes in NBRC 13296. The highest dDDH and ANI values between NBRC 13296 and the most closely related type strain, Paenibacillus chitinolyticus KCCM 41,400, were 97.8% and 98.66%, respectively. Based on these genome-based comparative analyses, we propose reclassifying B. vitellinus NBRC 13296 as P. chitinolyticus. Genome mining revealed 18 gene clusters encoding the biosynthesis of diverse secondary metabolites in the genome of B. vitellinus NBRC 13296, indicating the enormous biosynthetic potential of this strain. The predicted structural diversity of the secondary metabolites includes aminoglycosides, PKS, NRPS, PKS–NRPS hybrids, metallophores, phosphonates, terpenes, β-lactones, and RiPP peptides. We then comparatively characterized the butirosin BGCs previously studied in several N. circulans strains. Additionally, the comparative genome analysis revealed complete butirosin BGCs identified from P. chitinolyticus KCCM 41,400, P. chitinolyticus NRRL B-23119, P. chitinolyticus NRRL B-23120, P. chitinolyticus B-14908, P. chitinolyticus YSY-3.1, P. chitinolyticus JMW06, Paenibacillus sp. GbtcB18, Paenibacillus sp. HGH0039, and Paenibacillus sp. MZ04-78.2. Finally, we identified the core region consisting of BtrS, BtrN, BtrM, BtrL, BtrA, BtrB, BtrC, BtrD, BtrD, BtrE, BtrF, BtrG, BtrH, BtrI, BtrI, BtrJ, BtrK, BtrO, BtrP, and BtrV, followed by an upstream region organizing BtrQ, BtrW, BtrX, BtrY, and BtrZ in the same transcriptional direction and sequential genetic arrangement, and a downstream region organizing various proteins based on BtrT, BtrR2, BtrU, and BtrR1. Our study provides insights into the reclassification of B. vitellinus NBRC 13296 to P. chitinolyticus and suggests the need for continued studies on butirosin biosynthesis from an enzymatic perspective.