Genomic and Phylogenetic Analysis of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum L125, and Evaluation of Its Anti-Proliferative and Cytotoxic Activity in Cancer Cells

<i>Lactiplantibacillus plantarum</i> is a diverse species that includes nomadic strains isolated from a variety of environmental niches. Several <i>L. plantarum</i> strains are being incorporated in fermented foodstuffs as starter cultures, while some of them have also been characterized as probiotics. In this study, we present the draft genome sequence of <i>L. plantarum</i> L125, a potential probiotic strain presenting biotechnological interest, originally isolated from a traditional fermented meat product. Phylogenetic and comparative genomic analysis with other potential probiotic <i>L. plantarum</i> strains were performed to determine its evolutionary relationships. Furthermore, we located genes involved in the probiotic phenotype by whole genome annotation. Indeed, genes coding for proteins mediating host-microbe interactions and bile salt, heat and cold stress tolerance were identified. Concerning the potential health-promoting attributes of the novel strain, we determined that <i>L. plantarum</i> L125 carries an incomplete plantaricin gene cluster, in agreement with previous in vitro findings, where no bacteriocin-like activity was detected. Moreover, we showed that cell-free culture supernatant (CFCS) of <i>L. plantarum</i> L125 exerts anti-proliferative, anti-clonogenic and anti-migration activity against the human colon adenocarcinoma cell line, HT-29. Conclusively, <i>L. plantarum</i> L125 presents desirable probiotic traits. Future studies will elucidate further its biological and health-related properties.