Phylogenomics reveals insights into the functional evolution of the genus Agrobacterium and enables the description of Agrobacterium divergens sp. nov.

The genus Agrobacterium was initially described as mainly phytopathogenic strains. Nowadays, the genus includes phytopathogenic and non-phytopathogenic bacteria that are distinctive among the Rhizobiaceae family. Recently we have isolated two closely related strains, LMG 31531 and LMG 31532, from soil and plant roots, respectively. Both strains differ from previously reported species based on the genomic and phenotypic data. A. arsenijevicii KFB 330 and A. fabacearum LMG 31642 showed the highest 16S rRNA similarity (98.9 %), followed by A. nepotum LMG 26435 (98.7 %). A clear genomic feature that distinguishes LMG 31531 and LMG 31532 from other Agrobacterium species is the absence of a linear chromid. Nevertheless, typical values of the core-proteome Average Amino Acid Identity (cpAAI > 85 %) and 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity (>96 %) when compared to other members of the genus confirm the position of these two strains as part of the Agrobacterium genus. They are therefore described as Agrobacterium divergens sp. nov. Besides, our comparative genomic study and survey for clade-specific markers resulted in the discovery of conserved proteins that provide insights into the functional evolution of this genus.