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1. Draft genome sequence of Paenibacillus turicensis DSM 14349 ^T from cerebrospinal fluid of a patient in Switzerland

   https://doi.org/10.1128/mra.01373-25  

   Berzansky, Marion; Handojo, Mia; Pukall, Rüdiger; Göker, Markus; Woyke, Tanja; Seshadri, Rekha; Luna_Lopez, Carlos; Read, Betsy (April 2026, Microbiology Resource Announcements)

   Van_Tyne, Daria (Ed.)

   ABSTRACT We report the draft genome of the gram-positive bacteriumPaenibacillus turicensisDSM 14349^T,isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid of a male patient. The 4.8 Mbp genome encodes 4,551 genes, including 4,423 protein-coding sequences, some of which may contribute to its ability to survive in a nutrient-poor environment. 

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2. Draft genome sequence of Mesonia hippocampi DSM 29568 ^T isolated from the brood pouch of a diseased male seahorse

   https://doi.org/10.1128/mra.00047-25  

   Bond, Eva; Reines, Claudia; Thiel, Vera; Göker, Markus; Stamatis, Dimitrios; Seshadri, Rekha; Luna_Lopez, Carlos; Read, Betsy (May 2025, Microbiology Resource Announcements)

   Thrash, J Cameron (Ed.)

   ABSTRACT Mesonia hippocampiwas isolated from the brood pouch of a diseased seahorse,Hippocampus barbouri, and the 498,773,430 bp genome encoding 2,377 proteins was sequenced. Understanding the role ofM. hippocampican inform conservation strategies to improve the health and survival of wild and captiveH. barbouri. 

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3. General and selective nickel-electrocatalyzed cross-electrophile C*( sp ² )–C( sp ² ) coupling

   https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2515413123  

   Xie, Wenbin; Song, Zhe; Shi, Qinqin; Sheng, Panping; Xu, Gu; Wen, Kaikai; Zhao, Lutang; Marks, Tobin J; Wang, Zhi-Xiang; Huang, Hui (March 2026, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

   Berenbaum, May R (Ed.)

   Transition metal-catalyzed cross-coupling of two similar electrophiles (XEC) to construct C(sp²)–C(sp²) bonds is a powerful emerging synthetic methodology. However, efficient and selective XEC to create heterocoupled C*(sp²)–C(sp²) linkages from equimolar reagents while suppressing competing homocoupling, presents a synthetic challenge. Here, we describe a promising approach to address this challenge via electrocatalytic synthesis. This approach utilizes renewable and readily available electricity to replace traditional redox reagents, minimizing chemical use and chemical waste generation, while controlling the reaction pathway by the applied potential. This highly selective and general electrocatalytic eXEC process to construct C*(sp²)–C(sp²) bonds is enabled by sequential and controllable eXEC oxidative addition processes, and supported mechanistically by experiment and DFT computation. Generality and efficacy are demonstrated by more than 80 examples, including important biaryl, fluorophore, and pharmaceutical products. Notably, the stoichiometric precision of eXEC enables the first synthesis of solution-processable low polydispersity conjugated opto-electronic polymers. Therefore, this report provides a conceptually attractive method to selectively create diverse and useful C*(sp²)–C(sp²) coupled molecules and macromolecules. 

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4. Complete genome sequence of Planococcus koreensis isolated from soil in Fort Collins, Colorado

   https://doi.org/10.1128/mra.00193-25  

   Gruber, Paige; Freedman, Ashley; Malmstrom, Kendall; Borlee, Bradley R; Mehaffy, Carolina (May 2025, Microbiology Resource Announcements)

   Roux, Simon (Ed.)

   ABSTRACT The complete genome ofPlanococcus koreensiswas obtained using Nanopore MinION sequencing after isolation from soil in Colorado. The assembled genome contains one circular contig with 3,519,105 bp, 3,606 genes, 419 pseudogenes, and 47.62% guanine-cytosine content. This discovery provides a fully assembledP. koreensisgenome available at the National Center for Biotechnology Information. 

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5. Evading native restriction-modification systems improves electroporation efficiency of the methanotroph Methylococcus capsulatus Bath

   https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.00538-26  

   Yu, Yao-Chuan; Tumen-Velasquez, Melissa; Vergara, Michael Melesse; Alexander, William; Grinffiel, Daniel; Henard, Jessica M; Guss, Adam M; Henard, Calvin A (July 2026, Applied and Environmental Microbiology)

   Atomi, Haruyuki (Ed.)

   ABSTRACT Methylococcus capsulatusBath is a unique methanotrophic bacterium that uses methane (CH₄) as a carbon and energy source and encodes the RubisCO enzyme for inorganic carbon assimilation, positioning it as an excellent candidate for biotechnology to capture atmospheric CH₄and carbon dioxide (CO₂) for chemical production. However, a limited genetic toolbox and minimal high-throughput methodologies for genetic engineering hinder the development of efficientM. capsulatusbiocatalysts. In this work, we developed and optimized an electroporation workflow to transfer circular and linear DNA fragments intoM. capsulatuswith high efficiency by evading the host restriction-modification (RM) systems that recognize and degrade foreign DNA. To achieve this, we determined theM. capsulatusmethylome to identify RM system methyltransferases and express them inEscherichia coli, resulting in DNA methylation inE. colithat mirrors that ofM. capsulatus, which improved methanotroph electroporation efficiency. Iterative site-directed mutagenesis of plasmid methylation sites identified a m⁶A motif necessary for the increase in electroporation efficiency. AnM. capsulatusknock-out strain with a disrupted Type I RM system linked to the m⁶A motif showed improved transformation efficiency compared to wild type, underscoring the importance of proper m⁶A methylation in successful DNA transfer toM. capsulatus. Notably, plasmid methylation coupled to an optimized electroporation workflow enabled the facile generation of anM. capsulatusgenome-wide CRISPR interference library for functional genomic screening. Collectively, our results identify an RM system that has, up to now, limitedM. capsulatustransformation and establish a methodology to bypass the RM system and improve transformation efficiency, which will accelerate the development of engineered methanotrophs for CH₄bioconversion technologies.IMPORTANCEAerobic CH₄-oxidizing bacteria (methanotrophs) utilize CH₄as a carbon and energy source in nature, also making them promising biocatalysts for converting CH₄to valuable products. However, the development of these non-model microbes for use in biotechnology has been slowed by limitations in genetic tools and methodologies. Here, we established DNA electroporation in the methanotroph,Methylococcus capsulatusBath, which had poor baseline DNA transfer efficiency. By determining theM. capsulatusmethylome and identifying its restriction-modification systems that digest foreign DNA, thereby limiting DNA transformation, we developed anEscherichia colicloning strain expressingM. capsulatusmethyltransferases that modify plasmid DNA mirroring the host, significantly improving DNA transfer toM. capsulatus. These improvements enabled the proof-of-concept construction of a genetic library via electroporation. The significant advancements herein bring us closer to realizing the use of methanotrophs for biomanufacturing and atmospheric CH₄-mitigating biotechnologies. 

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