Maribacter dokdonensis DSW-8 was isolated from the seawater off Dokdo in Korea. To investigate the genomic features of this marine bacterium, we sequenced its genome and analyzed the genomic features. After de novo assembly and gene prediction, 16 contigs totaling 4,434,543 bp (35.95% G+C content) in size were generated and 3,835 protein-coding sequences, 36 transfer RNAs, and 6 ribosomal RNAs were detected. In the genome of DSW-8, genes encoding the proteins associated with gliding motility, molybdenum cofactor biosynthesis, and utilization of several kinds of carbohydrates were identified. To analyze the genomic relationships among Maribacter species, we compared publically available Maribacter genomes, including that of M. dokdonensis DSW-8. A phylogenomic tree based on 1,772 genes conserved among the eight Maribacter strains showed that Maribacter speices isolated from seawater are distinguishable from species originating from algal blooms. Comparison of the gene contents using COG and subsystem databases demonstrated that the relative abundance of genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism are higher in seawater-originating strains than those of algal blooms. These results indicate that the genomic information of Maribacter species reflects the characteristics of their habitats and provides useful information for carbon utilization of marine flavobacteria.
Keywords: Flavobacteriia; carbohydrate-active enzyme; α-1,3-L-neoagarobiase/neoagarobiose hydrolase; α-L-fucosidase.