Latilactobacillus fragifolii sp. nov., isolated from leaves of a strawberry plant (Fragaria x ananassa)

This dataset contains the digitized treatments in Plazi based on the original journal article Legein, Marie, Wittouck, Stijn, Lebeer, Sarah (2022): Latilactobacillus fragifolii sp. nov., isolated from leaves of a strawberry plant (Fragaria x ananassa). International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology (005193) 72 (1): 1-9, DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.005193, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1099/ijsem.0.005193 Abstract Thirteen Gram-positive, catalase-positive, rod-shaped single colonies were obtained after culturing a strawberry leaf on de Man–Rogosa–Sharpe agar. Based on 16 S rRNA gene and rpoA gene sequence similarities, ranging between 99.0–100% and 96.5–100%, respectively, the 13 isolates were found to be closely related to each other. Two of the independent isolates, AMBP 162 T and AMBP 252, were whole-genome sequenced, and showed to be undistinguishable with an average nucleotide identity (ANI) value of 100%. Compared to the reference genomes for all species in the family Lactobacillaceae, the AMBP 162 T genome was most similar to the reference strain of Latilactobacillus curvatus with ANI of only 89.5%, indicating they were a different species. Based on genotypic and phenotypic data, a novel Latilactobacillus species, Latilactobacillus fragifolii sp. nov., with the type strain AMBP 162 T (= LMG 32285 T = CECT 30357 T) is proposed. The genus Latilactobacillus was recently created when the former genus Lactobacillus was reclassified into 25 genera including Latilactobacillus [1]. Lactobacilli, a generic term for all organisms that were classified as Lactobacillus species before this reclassification in 2020, are usually found in nutrient-rich habitats. These habitats can be divided into food and feed, environmental sites and nutrient-rich parts of plants, and vertebrate and invertebrate hosts [2]. Lactobacilli are only sporadically detected in the phyllosphere habitat, the above-ground surface of plants [2]. The phyllosphere is a nutrient-poor habitat and its bacterial population size is limited by carbon availability [3]. Besides limited carbon sources, bacteria in the phyllosphere have to cope with low water availability, high UV radiation, oxidative stress, and attacks from the plant immune system. Inoculation experiments show that lactobacilli have low survival rates in the phyllosphere [4]. However, the ecological role of lactobacilli on plants remains poorly understood. Some studies indicate that some lactobacilli can find a niche in the phyllosphere. For example, Pontonio and colleagues [5] have demonstrated that Lactiplantibacillus plantarum can dominate the endosphere of Origanum vulgare plants. They have also isolated several species of lactobacilli from these plants, one of them being Latilactobacillus graminis. Vokou et al. [6] observed high abundances of lactic acid bacteria on the leaves of Mediterranean plants and identified L. plantarum as well as several Leuconostoc and Lactococcus species. Lamont et al. [7] give an overview of the numerous observations of lactobacilli on plants and discusses possible applications for lactobacilli in this habitat, for example as biocontrol agents. The genus Latilactobacillus, formerly known as the Lactobacillus sakei group, contains species with a free-living lifestyle [1, 2]. Latilactobacillus species are widely distributed in the environment but rarely found in animals. The type species, Latilactobacillus sakei, occurs on fermented or spoiled meats, silage and cereal fermentations [2]. Many strains in this genus are psychrotrophic and grow below 8 ° C. Here we report on the identification of 12 isolates belonging to a new species within the genus Latilactobacillus.