Physiological characterization and sequence analysis of a syringate-consuming Actinobacterium

•A syringate-consuming bacterial strain belonging to Microbacterium was isolated.•The isolate (RG1) grew on eight out of ten lignin model compounds tested.•Whole genome sequencing was made and the obtained unitig was annotated.•Putative genes related to syringyl-metabolism were mapped in RG1.•This is the first report of a syringyl-pathway in a Gram-positive bacterium.