Abstract
Paenibacillus sp. strain JDR-2, an aggressively xylanolytic bacterium isolated from sweetgum
(Liquidambar styraciflua) wood, is able to efficiently depolymerize, assimilate and metabolize
4-O-methylglucuronoxylan, the predominant structural component of hardwood
hemicelluloses. A basis for this capability was first supported by the identification of genes
and characterization of encoded enzymes and has been further defined by the sequencing
and annotation of the complete genome, which we describe. In addition to genes implicated
in the utilization of β-1,4-xylan, genes have also been identified for the utilization of other
hemicellulosic polysaccharides. The genome of Paenibacillus sp. JDR-2 contains 7,184,930
bp in a single replicon with 6,288 protein-coding and 122 RNA genes. Uniquely prominent
are 874 genes encoding proteins involved in carbohydrate transport and metabolism. The
prevalence and organization of these genes support a metabolic potential for bioprocessing of
hemicellulose fractions derived from lignocellulosic resources.