AUTHOR=Yuan Shenglei , Wang Yundan , Zhao Fangqing , Kang Le 

TITLE=Complete Genome Sequence of Weissella confusa LM1 and Comparative Genomic Analysis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2021.749218

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2021.749218

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>The genus <italic>Weissella</italic> is attracting an increasing amount of attention because of its multiple functions and probiotic potential. In particular, the species <italic>Weissella confusa</italic> is known to have great potential in industrial applications and exhibits numerous biological functions. However, the knowledge on this bacterium in insects is not investigated. Here, we isolated and identified <italic>W. confusa</italic> as the dominant lactic acid bacteria in the gut of the migratory locust. We named this strain <italic>W. confusa</italic> LM1, which is the first genome of an insect-derived <italic>W. confusa</italic> strain with one complete chromosome and one complete plasmid. Among all <italic>W. confusa</italic> strains, <italic>W. confusa</italic> LM1 had the largest genome. Its genome was the closest to that of <italic>W. confusa</italic> 1001271B_151109_G12, a strain from human feces. Our results provided accurate evolutionary relationships of known <italic>Weissella</italic> species and <italic>W. confusa</italic> strains. Based on genomic analysis, the pan-genome of <italic>W. confusa</italic> is in an open state. Most strains of <italic>W. confusa</italic> had the unique genes, indicating that these strains can adapt to different ecological niches and organisms. However, the variation of strain-specific genes did represent significant correlations with their hosts and ecological niches. These strains were predicted to have low potential to produce secondary metabolites. Furthermore, no antibiotic resistance genes were identified. At the same time, virulence factors associated with toxin production and secretion system were not found, indicating that <italic>W. confusa</italic> strains were not sufficient to perform virulence. Our study facilitated the discovery of the functions of <italic>W. confusa</italic> LM1 in locust biology and their potential application to locust management.</p>