Comparative genomics analysis of Chryseobacterium spp. reveals metabolic pathways involved in keratinous utilization

Many efforts have been made to valorize keratinous materials which are abundant and renewable resource. Despite several approaches being attempted to obtain high value-added products from keratin hydrolysate, most of the products achieved are still with low value. In this study, a promising keratinolytic strain from the genus Chryseobacterium (Chryseobacterium sp. KMC2) was investigated using comparative genomic tools with three publicly available reference genomes to reveal the metabolic potential for biosynthesis of valuable secondary metabolites. Additionally, this study provided a more comprehensive understanding of the metabolic pathways of keratin utilization in Chryseobacterium sp. KMC2, with the involvement of amino acid metabolism, TCA cycle, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, propanoate metabolism, and sulfate reduction.