Abstract
The objective of this work is to conduct a comprehensive study of the microflora of northern soils in permafrost regions, select psychrophilic and acidophilic strains that degrade petroleum products, and perform whole-genome sequencing of the isolated bacteria to identify the key genetic determinants of their biodegradation activity. The whole-genome sequences of six strains (Glutamicibacter creatinolyticus GAV-1, Lysinibacillus capsici 5a-1, Serratia fonticola 16a-1/24-1/DEST-2, Sporosarcina psychrophila 5b-1) isolated from oil-contaminated soils (6 samples). Phylogenetic positioning based on 16S rRNA confirmed the classification of the isolates into known species and the absence of significant taxonomic novelty. Comparison of proteomes with the HADEG database using Proteinortho/DIAMOND revealed a sharp stratification of oil-oxidizing potential: three S. fonticola strains were found to have 19 HADEG genes per genome (alkane, aromatic, and biosurfactant modules), while G. creatinolyticus GAV-1 had 17 genes related only to aromatic catabolism; S. psychrophila 5b-1 had 4 aromatic genes; L. capsici 5a-1 had 1 aromatic gene. The ortho pathway (7 genes) dominated the aromatic profile of GAV-1, with additional subpathways (phenylacetic acid, homoprotocatechuate, catechol, toluene). Even within phylogenetically “normal” taxa, significantly different oil-oxidizing functions are formed; S. fonticola are candidates for the role of “universal” destructors, while G. creatinolyticus is likely specialized in the processing of aromatic intermediate metabolites, and S. psychrophila and L. capsici may perform auxiliary functions in cold acidic soil consortia.