Genomic insights into indole-3-acetic acid catabolism in the marine algae-associated bacterium, Marinomonas sp. NFXS50.

Auxins, mainly in the form of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), regulate several aspects of plant and algal growth and development. Consequently, plant and algae-associated bacteria developed the ability to modulate IAA levels, including IAA catabolism. In this work, we present and analyse the genome sequence of the IAA-degrading and marine algae-associated bacterium, sp. NFXS50, analyse its IAA catabolism gene cluster and study the prevalence of IAA catabolism genes in other genomes. Our findings revealed the presence of homologs of the gene cluster, implicated in IAA catabolism, in the genome of strain NFXS50; however, differences were observed in the content and organization of the gene cluster when compared to that of the model -containing 1290. These variations suggest potential adaptations in the IAA catabolism pathway, possibly influenced by substrate availability and evolutionary factors. The prevalence of genes across several species underscores the significance of IAA catabolism in marine environments, potentially influencing plant/algae-bacteria interactions. This study provides novel insights into the IAA catabolism in , laying the groundwork for future investigations into the role of genes in physiology and the regulation of marine plant/algae-bacteria interactions.