Comparative genomic analysis of metal-tolerant bacteria reveals significant differences in metal adaptation strategies

Metal-tolerant bacteria have wide applications in environmental, agricultural, and ecological fields, but their action strategies are not yet fully understood. We isolated 32 metal-tolerant bacteria from the rhizosphere soil samples. Among them, <i>Serratia marcescens</i> X1, <i>Mammaliicoccus sciuri</i> X26, and <i>Rummeliibacillus pycnus</i> X33 showed significant differences in metal tolerance to Cu, Fe, and Mn with other isolates. Comparative genomic analysis revealed that they have abundant and different genomic features to adapt to various metal ions. It is thus inferred that the combined use of them would compensate for their differences and enhance their ability to accumulate heavy metal ions, widening their applications in industry, agriculture, and ecology.