Seeds of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni as a Source of Plant Growth-Promoting Endophytic Bacteria with the Potential to Synthesize Rebaudioside A

In this study, a new strain of Pantoea vagans, SRS89, was isolated from surface-sterilized stevia seeds. The isolate was evaluated using morphological, molecular, and biochemical methods. The bacterium was 1.5 μm long, yellowish in color, and classified as Gram-negative. Whole genome sequencing of our strain revealed the presence of a 4,610,019 bp chromosome, and genome annotation resulted in the detection of 4283 genes encoding 4204 putative coding sequences. Phylogenic analysis classified the genome of our strain close to the MP7 and LMG 24199 strains of P. vagans. Functional analysis showed that the highest number of genes within the analyzed bacterium genome were involved in transcription, amino acid transport and metabolism, and carbohydrate transport and metabolism. We also identified genes for enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of carotenoids and terpenoids. Furthermore, we showed the presence of growth regulators, with the highest amount noted for gibberellic acid A3, indole-3-acetic acid, and benzoic acid. However, the most promising property of this strain is its ability to synthesize rebaudioside A; the estimated amount quantified using reversed-phase (RP)-HPLC was 4.39 mg/g of the dry weight of the bacteria culture. The isolated endophytic bacterium may be an interesting new approach to the production of this valuable metabolite.