Comparative Genomic Characterization of Indigenous Oenococcus oeni Strains from Northwestern Argentina

Abstract

Bioinformatics has become an important tool for characterizing the properties of potential starter cultures such as Oenococcus oeni, providing insights into metabolism, wine adaptation, and genetic diversity. This study aimed to characterize the genomes of three native O. oeni strains (X2L, ST, and Sb10) isolated from the wine-producing region of Northwestern Argentina and to compare them with strains from other wine-related environments. The analyzed genomes showed features consistent with the species, including genome sizes of approximately 1.7 Mb and GC contents close to 38%. Most coding sequences were related to carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism. No genes associated with biogenic amine production or antibiotic resistance were detected, supporting their potential suitability as starter cultures for winemaking. ANI values above 97% supported their classification as O. oeni. Despite this high genomic similarity, differences were observed among strains. X2L and Sb10 exhibited an ANI of 99.99% and no SNP differences, suggesting that these isolates may represent clonal variants. In contrast, X2L and ST showed lower genomic similarity and belonged to different phylogroups, despite sharing the same origin. Strain ST exhibited greater genomic similarity to several reference strains, highlighting the genetic diversity and evolutionary complexity of O. oeni populations.