Vogesella alpina sp. nov., Vogesella limnetica sp. nov., Vogesella montanilacustris sp. nov., Vogesella oligotrophica sp. nov. and Vogesella rivulicola sp. nov., isolated from the freshwater environments

Abstract Background Vogesella strains, which belong to the family Chromobacteriaceae , have attracted considerable attention due to their ability to synthesize indigoidine. However, due to the limited number of available strains, research on the ecological functions of this genus remains insufficient. Results In the last few years, 18 Vogesella strains were isolated from the freshwater environments and 8 of them have been reported by us in 2023. The remaining 10 Vogesella strains (Dicai11 T , DSH15 T , FXH17 T , FXH30, FXH49, Huaxi11, Huaxi14, Ji36 T , YLH38 T and YLH41) were subjected to detailed comparative analysis with other Vogesella strains in this study. Phylogenetic comparisons using 16S rRNA gene sequences and publicly available genomes indicated that currently known Vogesella strains form five distinct clades. Strain FXH17 T represented an independent clade (clade 1) in the phylogenomic tree. Strains Dicai11 T and Ji36 T isolated from the alpine lakes also represented an independent clade (clade 4). Strains DSH15 T , FXH49, YLH38 T and YLH41 formed a clade with Vogesella urethralis , Vogesella aquatica , Vogesella perlucida and Vogesella mureinivorans (clade 3). The ANI, dDDH and AAI analyses further showed that strains FXH30 and Huaxi14 should belong to the species Vogesella indigofera , and strains FXH49, Huaxi11 and YLH41 should belong to the species V. urethralis , Vogesella margarita and V. perlucida , respectively. The ANI and dDDH values between each of strains Dicai11 T , DSH15 T , FXH17 T , Ji36 T and YLH38 T and each of the other tested strains were all less than 94.4% and 56.2%, respectively, indicating that each of these five strains should represent an independent novel species of genus Vogesella , for which the names Vogesella alpina sp. nov. (Dicai11 T =GDMCC 1.6233 T =KCTC 18482 T ), Vogesella rivulicola sp. nov. (DSH15 T =GDMCC 1.6232 T =KCTC 18472 T ), Vogesella oligotrophica sp. nov. (FXH17 T =GDMCC 1.6237 T =KCTC 18476 T ), Vogesella montanilacustris sp. nov. (Ji36 T =GDMCC 1.6234 T =KCTC 18473 T ) and Vogesella limnetica sp. nov. (YLH38 T =GDMCC 1.6230 T =KCTC 18470 T ) are proposed. Comparative genomic analyses showed that not each of Vogesella strains could synthesize indigoidine and multiple pathways may be responsible for indigoidine production. Obvious genetic differences were present among Vogesella strains, especially in the aspects of nitrogen and phosphorus cycling. The eight strains clustered within clade 3 were devoid of coxA and coxC , which encode subunits of the terminal oxidase of the aerobic respiratory chain. Most Vogesella strains had no complete denitrification pathway and lacked the nitrous oxide reductase. Only strain Dicai11 T had the complete phosphonate transport and metabolism systems, possibly enabling it to adapt to the phosphorus-limited habitats of alpine lakes. Conclusions Taken together, this study expands our understanding of the ecological function potential of Vogesella strains.