Genomic analysis of Vreelandella sp. F11 reveals its role in alginate utilization

Alginate, mainly produced by brown algae, is an important polysaccharide that supports the growth of marine bacteria. Vreelandella sp. F11 is a Gram-negative and aerobic marine bacterium, which was isolated from the brown algae sample collected from the Weihai coast, the Yellow Sea, China. Here, we present the complete genome of strain F11 and its genomic characteristics to utilize alginate. The genome of strain F11 comprises one circular chromosome with 4,840,724 bp and a GC content of 55.04 %. Strain F11 could grow with alginate as the sole carbon source. Genomic analysis revealed that strain F11 contains a gene cluster, encoding the enzymes, transporters and a regulator protein involved in utilizing alginate. Gene annotations suggested that the alginate utilization system of strain F11 is similar to those in Vibrio strains. However, strain F11 does not contain homologs of known KdgF (a key enzyme involved in the metabolism of alginate monomer) and inner membrane transporters of alginate oligomer uptake. The result indicated that strain F11 contains novel KdgF and inner membrane transporter system, which warrants further investigation. These data suggested that Vreelandella strains play a role in alginate utilization in the ocean and lay a foundation for the application of Vreelandella in the conversion of brown algae.