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Microorganisms
Volume 13
Issue 11
10.3390/microorganisms13112583
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Article

Two Novel Microbacterium Species Isolated from Citrullus colocynthis L. (Cucurbitaceae), a Medicinal Plant from Arid Environments

by
Khadija Ait Si Mhand
1,
Salma Mouhib
1,
Nabil Radouane
1,
Khaoula Errafii
1,
Issam Meftah Kadmiri
2,
Derly Madeleiny Andrade-Molina
3,
Juan Carlos Fernández-Cadena
3,4 and
Mohamed Hijri
1,5,*
1
African Genome Center, University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P), Lot 660, Hay Moulay Rachid, Ben Guerir 43150, Morocco
2
Plant and Microbial Biotechnology Center, Moroccan Foundation for Advanced Science, Innovation and Research (MAScIR), University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P), Lot 660, Hay Moulay Rachid, Ben Guerir 43150, Morocco
3
OMICS Sciences Laboratory, Faculty of Health Science, Universidad Espíritu Santo, Samborondón 092301, Ecuador
4
Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
5
Institut de Recherche en Biologie Végétale (IRBV), Département de Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal, 4101 Rue Sherbrooke Est, Montréal, QC H1X 2B2, Canada
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Microorganisms 2025, 13(11), 2583; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13112583 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 3 October 2025 / Revised: 3 November 2025 / Accepted: 7 November 2025 / Published: 12 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbiota of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Diversity, Community Structure, Functions, and Applications)
Review Reports Versions Notes

Abstract

Plants inhabiting arid regions often harbor microbial communities that contribute to their resilience under extreme conditions. Yet, the genomic diversity and functional potential of bacterial endophytes associated with desert-adapted plants, particularly in Africa, remain largely unexplored. In this study, we investigated Microbacterium endophytes from the xerophytic cucurbit Citrullus colocynthis L. (Cucurbitaceae), collected in a semi-arid environment in central Morocco. Using culture-based isolation, phenotypic characterization, and whole-genome sequencing, we analyzed three representative isolates from leaf and root tissues. Genome-based taxonomy combined with polyphasic analyses identified two novel species, Microbacterium xerophyticum sp. nov. and Microbacterium umsixpiens sp. nov., with genome sizes of approximately 4.0 Mb and 3.9 Mb, respectively. Functional annotation revealed traits consistent with endophytism in water-limited ecosystems, including oxidative and osmotic stress responses, metal homeostasis, and high-affinity phosphate uptake. Differences in siderophore acquisition and nitrogen metabolism suggest niche partitioning between the two species. These findings document two novel bacterial species from a medicinal plant native to arid ecosystems, broaden the known diversity of plant-associated Microbacterium, and provide region-specific genomic references with adaptive traits relevant to host resilience under arid conditions.
Keywords: arid environment; endophytic bacteria; Cucurbitaceae; Microbacterium; plant–microbe interaction; whole-genome sequencing arid environment; endophytic bacteria; Cucurbitaceae; Microbacterium; plant–microbe interaction; whole-genome sequencing

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MDPI and ACS Style

Ait Si Mhand, K.; Mouhib, S.; Radouane, N.; Errafii, K.; Kadmiri, I.M.; Andrade-Molina, D.M.; Fernández-Cadena, J.C.; Hijri, M. Two Novel Microbacterium Species Isolated from Citrullus colocynthis L. (Cucurbitaceae), a Medicinal Plant from Arid Environments. Microorganisms 2025, 13, 2583. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13112583

AMA Style

Ait Si Mhand K, Mouhib S, Radouane N, Errafii K, Kadmiri IM, Andrade-Molina DM, Fernández-Cadena JC, Hijri M. Two Novel Microbacterium Species Isolated from Citrullus colocynthis L. (Cucurbitaceae), a Medicinal Plant from Arid Environments. Microorganisms. 2025; 13(11):2583. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13112583

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ait Si Mhand, Khadija, Salma Mouhib, Nabil Radouane, Khaoula Errafii, Issam Meftah Kadmiri, Derly Madeleiny Andrade-Molina, Juan Carlos Fernández-Cadena, and Mohamed Hijri. 2025. "Two Novel Microbacterium Species Isolated from Citrullus colocynthis L. (Cucurbitaceae), a Medicinal Plant from Arid Environments" Microorganisms 13, no. 11: 2583. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13112583

APA Style

Ait Si Mhand, K., Mouhib, S., Radouane, N., Errafii, K., Kadmiri, I. M., Andrade-Molina, D. M., Fernández-Cadena, J. C., & Hijri, M. (2025). Two Novel Microbacterium Species Isolated from Citrullus colocynthis L. (Cucurbitaceae), a Medicinal Plant from Arid Environments. Microorganisms, 13(11), 2583. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13112583

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