Genomic Insights into Cyanide Biodegradation in the Genus.

Molecular studies about cyanide biodegradation have been mainly focused on the hydrolytic pathways catalyzed by the cyanide dihydratase CynD or the nitrilase NitC. In some strains, the assimilation of cyanide has been linked to NitC, such as the cyanotrophic model strain CECT 5344, which has been recently reclassified as CECT 5344. In this work, a phylogenomic approach established a more precise taxonomic position of the strain CECT 5344 within the species . Furthermore, a pan-genomic analysis of and other species with cyanotrophic strains, such as and , allowed for the comparison and identification of the and genes involved in cyanide resistance, and the and genes required for the assimilation of cyanide or cyanate, respectively. While cyanide resistance genes presented a high frequency among the analyzed genomes, genes responsible for cyanide or cyanate assimilation were identified in a considerably lower proportion. According to the results obtained in this work, an in silico approach based on a comparative genomic approach can be considered as an agile strategy for the bioprospection of putative cyanotrophic bacteria and for the identification of new genes putatively involved in cyanide biodegradation.