Metagenome assembled genomes from hot sugarcane mill mud

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Genomics
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Sugarcane mill mud is a complex microbial habitat.
• Heat treatment is applied to this mud, potentially influencing microbial community structure.
• Metagenomics offers a powerful approach to study unculturable microorganisms in environmental samples.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assemble and characterize bacterial genomes from heat-treated sugarcane mill mud.
• To provide high-quality metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) for novel bacterial species.
• To contribute genomic resources for the phylum Bacillota.

Main Methods:

• DNA extraction from heat-treated sugarcane mill mud.
• Metagenomic sequencing of extracted DNA.
• Bioinformatic assembly and quality assessment of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs).

Main Results:

• Successfully assembled six MAGs belonging to the phylum Bacillota.
• MAGs exhibited high completeness (94.5%-99.8%) and low contamination (<2%).
• Genome sizes ranged from 2.6 to 6.5 Mb, with 2573–5724 predicted proteins and G+C content of 37%-46%.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully generated high-quality bacterial genomes from a challenging industrial environment.
• These MAGs represent a valuable genomic resource for Bacillota research.
• The findings enhance our understanding of microbial diversity in sugarcane processing byproducts.