Whole Genome Sequencing and Biological Characterization of Bacillus cereus GW-01

Objective: To analyze the genome sequence information and biological properties of the pre-screened high-performance cypermethrin (β-CY)-degrading Bacillus cereus strain GW-01 through whole genome sequencing and bioinformatics, and to provide valuable insights for its safety assessment. Methods: The degradation ability of GW-01 towards β-CY was verified using HPLC. The whole genome of strain GW-01 was sequenced using third-generation single-molecule sequencing technology based on the second-generation Illumina NovaSeq and third-generation PacBio Sequel sequencing platforms. The sequencing data underwent analyses for genome assembly, gene prediction, functional annotation, prediction of carbohydrate-activating enzymes, virulence factors, and antibiotic resistance. Additionally, a phylogenetic tree was constructed for strain GW-01 based on the gyrA gene sequence. Results: On day 6, GW-01 degraded 48.4% of β-CY. The whole genome size of GW-01 strain was 5244145 bp with a cyclic genome type and an average GC content of 36.43%. It encoded a total of 5314 genes, including 104 tRNA genes and 313 ncRNAs. The whole genome sequences of GW-01 were annotated in the GO, KEGG, COG, NR, Swiss-Prot, CAZy, VFDB, and CARD databases, yielding 3536, 4714, 4434, 5290, 3854, 135, 263 and 96 annotated genes, respectively. GW-01 exhibited higher GC content and fewer virulence factors and resistance genes compared to the other four closely related strains. Conclusion: GW-01 displayed a distinct evolutionary pathway and a lower number of toxin-encoding genes compared to common Bacillus cereus strains, suggesting its higher safety profile.