Draft genome sequence of Rhizopus sp. FBL578 (Mucoromycota): insights into safe biotechnological application

Rhizopus sp. FBL578 (Mucoromycota), isolated from DDT-contaminated soil, has been deposited at the Fungal Biodiversity Lab (FBL), Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy. Rhizopus sp. FBL578 possesses hydrolytic enzymes with potential for mycoremediation. An analysis of DNA sequences from the RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2), translation elongation factor 1 alpha (EF-1 alpha) and RNA helicase genes indicated that FBL578 is closely related to the species Rhizopus arrhizus (or R. oryzae) of the R. arrhizus/delemar complex. R. arrhizus and R. delemar (or R. arrhizus var. delemar) are well known producers of proteolytic enzymes and organic compounds. Furthermore, certain strains can act as opportunistic human pathogens.Here, we report the draft genome sequence of R. arrhizus FBL578 obtained with high-throughput sequencing method. The assembly for FBL578 consisted of 6,027 contigs (N50 15,698 bp), with a total median size of 41.5 Mbp (GC%: 35.08). The genome of Rhizopus sp. FBL578 can shed light on the genes potentially involved in the production of compounds and secondary metabolites of biotech value. Overall, the genome sequence of Rhizopus sp. FBL578 can give insights into the application of safe mycoremediation.The Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) work for the whole-genome shotgun project was financially supported by INAIL-DIT, in the PAR 2016-2018.