Genome-based reclassification of Sp245 as the type strain of sp. nov.

sp. strain Sp245, originally identified as belonging to , is recognized as a plant-growth-promoting rhizobacterium due to its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen and to produce plant-beneficial compounds. sp. Sp245 and other related strains were isolated from the root surfaces of different plants in Brazil. Cells are Gram-negative, curved or slightly curved rods, and motile with polar and lateral flagella. Their growth temperature varies between 20 to 38 °C and their carbon source utilization is similar to other species. A preliminary 16S rRNA sequence analysis showed that the new species is closely related to Sp7 and CC-Nfb-7. Housekeeping genes revealed that sp. Sp245, BR 12001 and Vi22 form a separate cluster from strain CC-Nfb-7, and a group of strains closely related to Sp7. Overall genome relatedness index (OGRI) analyses estimated based on average nucleotide identity (ANI) and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) between sp. Sp245 and its close relatives to other species type strains, such as Sp7 and CC-Nfb-7 revealed values lower than the limit of species circumscription. Moreover, core-proteome phylogeny including 1079 common shared proteins showed the independent clusterization of Sp7, CC-Nfb-7 and sp. Sp245, a finding that was corroborated by the genome clustering of OGRI values and housekeeping phylogenies. The DNA G+C content of the cluster of Sp245 was 68.4-68.6 %. Based on the phylogenetic, genomic, phenotypical and physiological analysis, we propose that strain Sp245 together with the strains Vi22 and BR12001 represent a novel species of the genus , for which the name sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Sp245 (=BR 11005=IBPPM 219) (GCF_007827915.1, GCF_000237365.1, and GCF_003119195.2).