title: Bacillus velezensisis not a later heterotypic synonym ofBacillus amyloliquefaciens;Bacillus methylotrophicus,Bacillus amyloliquefacienssubsp.plantarumand 'Bacillus oryzicola' are later heterotypic synonyms ofBacillus velezensisbased on phylogenomics.
abstract: Bacillus velezensiswas previously reported to be a later heterotypic synonym ofBacillus amyloliquefaciens, based primarily on DNA-DNA relatedness values. We have sequenced a draft genome ofB. velezensisNRRL B-41580T. Comparative genomics and DNA-DNA relatedness calculations show that it is not a synonym ofB. amyloliquefaciens.It was instead synonymous withBacillus methylotrophicus.'Bacillus oryzicola' is a recently described species that was isolated as an endophyte of rice (Oryza sativa). The strain was demonstrated to have plant-pathogen antagonist activity in greenhouse assays, and the 16S rRNA gene was reported to have 99.7 % sequence similarity withBacillus siamensisandB. methylotrophicus, which are both known for their plant pathogen antagonism. To better understand the phylogenetics of these closely related strains, we sequenced the genome of 'B.oryzicola' KACC 18228. Comparative genomic analysis showed only minor differences between this strain and the genomes ofB. velezensisNRRL B-41580T,B. methylotrophicusKACC 13015TandBacillus amyloliquefacienssubsp.plantarumFZB42T. The pairwisein silicoDNA-DNA hybridization values calculated in comparisons between the strains were all greater than 84 %, which is well above the standard species threshold of 70 %. The results of morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses indicate that the strains share phenotype and genotype coherence. Therefore, we propose thatB. methylotrophicusKACC 13015T,B. amyloliquefacienssubsp.plantarumFZB42T, and 'B. oryzicola'KACC 18228 should be reclassified as later heterotypic synonyms ofB. velezensisNRRL B-41580T, since the valid publication date ofB. velezensisprecedes the other three strains.
authors.affiliation: Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Crop Bioprotection Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Peoria, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Dunlap
authors.affiliation: Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Crop Bioprotection Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Peoria, IL, USA.|Rural Development Administration, Korean Agriculture Culture Collection (KACC), National Institute of Agricultural Science, Wanju-gun, Jeollabuk-do, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Soo-Jin
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Rural Development Administration, Korean Agriculture Culture Collection (KACC), National Institute of Agricultural Science, Wanju-gun, Jeollabuk-do, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Soon-Wo
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.affiliation: Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Crop Bioprotection Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Peoria, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Alejandro P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Rooney