Whole Genome Sequence of Marinobacter salarius Strain SMR5, Shown to Promote Growth in its Diatom Host.

Attempts to obtain axenic cultures of the marine diatom Skeletonema marinoi often result in poor growth, indicating the importance of the microbiome to the growth of its host. In order to identify the precise roles played by these associated bacteria, individual strains were isolated, cultured and sequenced. We report the genome of one such strain - SMR5, isolated from a culture of S. marinoi strain R05AC sampled from top layer sediments of the Swedish west coast. Its genome of 4,630,160 bp consists of a circular chromosome and one circular plasmid, and 4,263 CDSs were inferred in the annotation. Comparison of 16S rRNA sequences and other markers, along with phylotaxonomic analysis, leads us to place strain SMR5 in the taxon Marinobacter salarius. Pathway analysis and previous experimental work suggest that this strain may produce a growth factor, as well as improve iron availability for its host via siderophores.