Genomic analysis of Marinobacter sp. M5B reveals its role in alginate biosynthesis

Alginate is a natural marine polysaccharide and an important marine organic carbon source, which is mainly produced by marine brown algae. Marinobacter sp. M5B, a Gram-negative and aerobic bacterium, was isolated from the surface seawater samples collected from the Mariana Trench. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of strain M5B and its genomic characteristics to synthesize alginate. The genome of strain M5B contains one circular chromosome (4,415,647 bp) with the GC content of 57.14 %. Genomic analysis showed that strain M5B contained a set of genes involved in alginate synthesis, indicating that it possesses the potential ability to synthesis alginate. This study provides novel insights into alginate synthesis by marine microorganisms.