Complete Genome Sequence of the Agarase-Producing Marine Bacterium Strain S89, Representing a Novel Species of the

We report here the annotated genome sequence of the marine bacterium Alteromonas sp. S89 and the identification of six genes coding for agar-degrading enzymes. The sequenced Alteromonas sp. S89 genome is composed of a 3,864,871-bp circular chromosome that includes 3,236 complete open reading frames. The genus Alteromonas contains Gram-negative, aerobic marine bacteria, including both nonpigmented and pigmented species (1, 2). Agar-degrading marine bacteria such as Altero-monas spp. that produce different types of agarases have been reported previously (4). Recently, new Alteromonas species have been reported in different parts of the world (3, 5, 6). However, the genome sequence of Alteromonas sp. S89 has not yet been reported. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to sequence the Alteromonas sp. S89 genome and screen it for identification of agarase-producing genes. We isolated and identified Alteromonas sp. S89 from a sea-water sample collected from Chuuk State in Micronesia an