Comparative genomic analysis of three Enterobacter strains associated with rice leaf wilt disease

Abstract Recent studies have revealed that certain Enterobacter species can induce rice leaf blight symptoms resembling those caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, the primary etiological agent of bacterial blight, which poses a significant threat to global rice production. In this study, we refer to the leaf blight caused by Enterobacter as rice bacterial leaf wilt to differentiate it from other diseases. To understand the pathogenic mechanisms of these emerging pathogens, we sequenced the complete genomes of three representative Enterobacter spp. strains, designated FY158, RG1, and SC1, and performed comprehensively comparative genomic analyses. Our findings reveal that strains FY158 and SC1, respectively isolated from Zhejiang and Sichuan Provinces, both belong to E. pseudoroggenkampii, a species previously known only from clinical samples. Strain RG1 isolated from Guangdong Province shares the closest phylogenetic relationship with E. asburiae. Moreover, we found that the secondary metabolites aryl polyenes, aerobactin, and enterobactin are associated with the pathogenicity of these Enterobacter strains on rice. The complete genome sequences provide a solid foundation for investigating the pathogenic processes of Enterobacter spp. associated with rice leaf wilt, and also contribute to the comparative genomic understanding of the genus Enterobacter.