Completed Genomic Sequence ofBacillus thuringiensisHER1410 Reveals aCry-Containing Chromosome, Two Megaplasmids, and an Integrative Plasmidial Prophage

Bacillus thuringiensisis the most used biopesticide in agriculture. Its entomopathogenic capacity stems from the possession of plasmid-borne insecticidal crystal genes (cry), traditionally used as discriminant taxonomic feature for that species. As such, crystal and plasmid identification are key to the characterization of this species. To date, about 600B. thuringiensisgenomes have been reported, but less than 5% have been completed, while the other draft genomes are incomplete, hindering full plasmid delineation. Here we present the complete genome ofBacillus thuringiensisHER1410, a strain closely related toB. thuringiensis entomocidusand a known host for a variety ofBacillusphages. The combination of short and long-read techniques allowed fully resolving the genome and delineation of three plasmids. This enabled the accurate detection of an unusual location of a uniquecrygene,cry1Ba4, located in a genomic island near the chromosome replication origin. Two megaplasmids, pLUSID1 and pLUSID2 could be delineated: pLUSID1 (368 kb), a likely conjugative plasmid involved in virulence, and pLUSID2 (156 kb) potentially related to the sporulation process. A smaller plasmidial prophage pLUSID3, with a dual lifestyle whose integration within the chromosome causes the disruption of a flagellar key component. Finally, phylogenetic analysis placed this strain within a clade comprising members from theB. thuringiensisserovarthuringiensisand other serovars and withB. cereus s. s. in agreement with the intermingled taxonomy ofB. cereus sensu latogroup.