Zobellella maritima sp nov., a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-degrading bacterium, isolated from beach sediment

Abstract

A novel Gram-stain-negative, motile, rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain 102-Py4(T), was isolated from Sinduri beach sediment in Taean, Republic of Korea. Cells were aerobic, oxidase-positive and catalase-positive. The isolate grew optimally with 1-3 % (w/v) NaCl, but NaCl is not an absolute requirement for growth. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that strain 102-Py4(T) clustered together with Zobellella aerophila and fell within the clade formed by recognized species of the genus Zobellella. Its closest phylogenetic neighbours were Z. aerophila JC2671(T )(98.1 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity), Zobellella denitrificans ZD1(T )(96.4 %) and Zobellella taiwanensis ZT1(T )(96.0 %). The major fatty acids were summed feature 3 (comprising C-16 (:) (1)omega 7c and/or C-16 (:) (1)omega 6c), C-12 (:) (0), summed feature 8 (comprising C-18 (:) (1)omega 7c and/or C-18 (:) (1)omega 6c) and C-16 (:) (0). The polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and two unidentified amino lipids. The DNA G+C content was 62.1 mol%. The DNA-DNA relatedness value between strain 102-Py4(T )and Z. aerophila JC2671(T) was 12.4 +/- 1.3 %. The phenotypic properties of 102-Py4(T )demonstrated that this strain could be distinguished from other Zobellella species. On the basis of the data presented, strain 102-Py4(T )(=KCTC 62272(T)=JCM 32359(T)=DSM 106043(T)) is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Zobellella, for which the name Zobellella maritima sp. nov. is proposed.