Full genome sequenced bacterial isolates from Arabidopsis thaliana

Bacterial culture collections are essential resources for exploring the diversity of microorganisms and their interactions with each other and their hosts. To unlock the full potential of culture collections, isolates must be whole-genome sequenced, which allows researchers to predict potential activities and behaviours. Here, we report on the sequencing of the first 129 isolates from a culture collection of more than 600 bacterial strains originally isolated from leaves of a naturalised Arabidopsis thaliana population from Otautahi Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand. Epiphytic (leaf surface), and endophytic (apoplastic) bacteria were isolated from the same leaves. The isolates are representative for leaf colonising bacteria and include representatives from genera, which have previously been detected during environmental studies of plant leaves. Their full genomes sequences were analysed and compared. To our knowledge, this is the first arabidopsis leaf culture collection established from the Southern Hemisphere. The genome sequencing and strain characterisation were conducted largely within the MSc course “Leaf Surface Microbiology” at Freie Universität Berlin and many students have contributed to this ongoing project.