Functional genomic insights into Floricoccus penangensis ML061-4 isolated from leaf surface of Assam tea

Floricoccus penangensis ML061-4 was originally isolated from the leaf surface of an Assam tea plant (Camellia sinensis var. assamica) from Northern Thailand. To assess the functions encoded by the F. penangensis ML061-4 genome, gene identification and annotation were undertaken by in silico analysis. The complete genome of F. penangensis ML061-4 consists of single chromosome of 2,159,127 base pairs, containing a GC content of 33.2% and encompassing 2049 predicted protein-encoding genes. A total of 1195 genes (58.0%) in the F. penangensis ML061-4 genome have assignable functions based on BlastKOALA analysis. Furthermore, 1235 genes (59.9%) were classified into six KEGG functional categories with 187 associated pathways, while 1419 genes (68.8%) were assigned a putative function by the Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COGs) database. The ML061-4 genome was evaluated for genes associated with complex carbohydrate metabolism, bacterial adhesion, virulence factors, pathogenicity, bacteriophages, antiviral defence systems as well as toxin- and antibiotic-resistance associated genes, and genes involved in toxin production, secondary metabolite biosynthesis and xenobiotics biodegradation. The obtained results support the notion of F. penangensis ML061-4 being safe for biotechnological and food industry purposes. This is the first report outlining functional genomic insights regarding a member of the genus Floricoccus.