Paenibacillus plantiphilus sp. nov. from the plant environment of Zea mays.

A Gram-strain positive, aerobic, endospore-forming bacterial strain (JJ-246) was isolated from the rhizosphere of Zea mays. The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity comparisons showed a most closely relationship to Paenibacillus oenotherae DT7-4 (98.4%) and Paenibacillus xanthinolyticus 11N27 (98.0%). The pairwise average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridisation values of the JJ-246 genome assembly against publicly available Paenibacillus type strain genomes were below 82% and 33%, respectively. The draft genome of JJ-246 shared many putative plant-beneficial functions contributing (PBFC) genes, related to plant root colonisation, oxidative stress protection, degradation of aromatic compounds, plant growth-promoting traits, disease resistance, drug and heavy metal resistance, and nutrient acquisition. The quinone system of strain JJ-246, the polar lipid profile and the major fatty acids were congruent with those reported for members of the genus Paenibacillus. JJ-246 was shown to represent a novel species of the genus Paenibacillus, for which the name Paenibacillus plantiphilus sp. nov. is proposed, with JJ-246 (= LMG 32093 = CCM 9089 = CIP 111893) as the type strain.