title: Genome sequence of the Medicago-nodulating Ensifer meliloti commercial inoculant strain RRI128.
abstract: Ensifer meliloti strain RRI128 is an aerobic, motile, Gram-negative, non-spore-forming rod. RRI128 was isolated from a nodule recovered from the roots of barrel medic (Medicago truncatula) grown in the greenhouse and inoculated with soil collected from Victoria, Australia. The strain is used in commercial inoculants in Australia. RRI128 nodulates and forms an effective symbiosis with a diverse range of lucerne cultivars (Medicago sativa) and several species of annual medic (M. truncatula, Medicago littoralis and Medicago tornata), but forms an ineffective symbiosis with Medicago polymorpha. Here we describe the features of E. meliloti strain RRI128, together with genome sequence information and annotation. The 6,900,273 bp draft genome is arranged into 156 scaffolds of 157 contigs, contains 6,683 protein-coding genes and 87 RNA-only encoding genes, and is one of 100 rhizobial genomes sequenced as part of the DOE Joint Genome Institute 2010 Genomic Encyclopedia for Bacteria and Archaea-Root Nodule Bacteria (GEBA-RNB) project.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Rhizobium Studies, Murdoch University, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Wayne
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Reeve
authors.affiliation: South Australian Research and Development Institute, Urrbrae, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Ross
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ballard
authors.affiliation: South Australian Research and Development Institute, Urrbrae, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Drew
authors.affiliation: Centre for Rhizobium Studies, Murdoch University, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Lambert
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bräu
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Bioscience Division, Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA.
authors.forename: Lynne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Goodwin
authors.affiliation: DOE Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, California, USA.
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Huntemann
authors.affiliation: DOE Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, California, USA.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: DOE Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, California, USA.
authors.forename: Reddy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tatiparthi
authors.affiliation: Biological Data Management and Technology Center, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Biological Data Management and Technology Center, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA.
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mavrommatis
authors.affiliation: Biological Data Management and Technology Center, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA.
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Markowitz
authors.affiliation: Biological Data Management and Technology Center, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA.
authors.forename: Krishna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Palaniappan
authors.affiliation: DOE Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, California, USA.
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ivanova
authors.affiliation: DOE Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, California, USA.
authors.forename: Amrita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pati
authors.affiliation: DOE Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, California, USA.
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Woyke
authors.affiliation: DOE Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, California, USA.
authors.forename: Nikos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kyrpides
keywords: Alphaproteobacteria; nitrogen fixation; rhizobia; root-nodule bacteria