Genome sequencing of a gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane (g-HCH)-degrading bacterium Sphingobium japonicum strain L15T isolated from an experimental field soil contaminated with g-HCH.. Sphingobium strain:L15T

Gamma isomer of hexachlorocyclohexane (g-HCH) is a chlorinated organic insecticide that has caused environmental pollution because of its recalcitrant and toxic characteristics. To understand acquisition of g-HCH-degrading genes and subsequent evolution of genomes of HCH-degrading bacteria, we isolated several g-HCH-degrading bacteria from an upland experimental field to which g-HCH had been applied once a year for more than three decades. We previously reported the complete genome of Sphingobium japonicum UT26 isolated from this site (J. Bacteriol. 2010 192: 5852-5853). Here we performed genome sequencing of a newly isolated g-HCH-degrading strain S. japonicum L15T.