Draft genome sequence of the agarase-producing Sphingomonas sp. MCT13

Sphingomonas sp.MCT13 was isolated froma water sample collected in April 2002 at an artificial basin at the Experimental Ecology and Acquaculture Laboratories (Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy). The strain was able to form evident pitting on agar plates, suggesting the ability to degrade agar by the production of agarase activity, a feature that has not been previously reported for sphingomonads, and has till now been reported only twice in a-Proteobacteria isolated from marine environments (Hosoda and Sakai, 2006; Kang and Lee, 2009). Here, we report on the draft genome sequence of the putative novel species Sphingomonas sp. MCT13, providing also the results of preliminary bioinformatic analyses that suggest gene candidates of potential interest in either bioremediation or for industrial applications in the field of complex carbohydrates degradation