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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Crop Bioprotection Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #326120
Research Project: Development of Production and Formulation Technologies for Microbial Biopesticides in Conjunction with the Development of Attractants and Repellents for Invasive Insect Pests

Location: Crop Bioprotection Research

Title: Bacillus nakamurai sp. nov., a black pigment producing strain

Author
item Dunlap, Christopher
item Saunders, Lauren
item Schisler, David
item Leathers, Timothy
item NAEEM, NAVEED - Wesleyan University
item COHAN, FREDRICK - Wesleyan University
item Rooney, Alejandro - Alex

Submitted to: International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/29/2016
Publication Date: 8/1/2016
Publication URL: https://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/5832876
Citation: Dunlap, C.A., Saunders, L.P., Schisler, D.A., Leathers, T.D., Naeem, N., Cohan, F.M., Rooney, A.P. 2016. Bacillus nakamurai sp. nov., a black pigment producing strain. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 66(8):2987-2991. doi: 10.1099/ijsem.0.001135.

Interpretive Summary: This study describes a new bacterial species that was isolated from soil in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Novel bacteria may possess unique and unusual biochemical properties that make them attractive candidates to explore their potential for new uses in agriculture or biotechnology. As such, this strain was accessioned into the Crop Bioprotection Research Unit’s culture collection where its potential for agricultural applications can be assessed in future studies.

Technical Abstract: Two isolates of a Gram-positive, strictly aerobic, motile, rod-shaped, endospore-forming bacterium were identified during a survey of the Bacillus diversity of the Agriculture Research Service Culture Collection. These strains were originally isolated from soil and have a phenotype of producing a dark pigment on tryptic soy agar. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene indicated that these strains were most closely related to Bacillus subtilis subsp. inquosorum (99.7%) and the recently reclassified Bacillus halotolerans (99.7%). In phenotypic characterization, the novel strains were found to grow between 17-50'C and to tolerate up to 9% NaCl (w/v). Furthermore, the strains grew in media with pH 5.5 to 10 (optimal growth at pH 7.0–8.0). The predominant cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C15':'0 (34.8%) and iso-C15':'0 (21.9'%). The cell-wall peptidoglycan contained meso-diaminopimelic acid. A draft genome of both strains was completed and used for phylogenomic analysis and comparisons to close relatives. The DNA G+C content was 43.8 mol%. A phylogenomic analysis on the core genome of these two new strains and all members of the Bacillus subtilis group revealed these two strains formed a distinct monophyletic clade with the nearest neighbor being Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. DNA-DNA relatedness studies using in silico DNA-DNA hybridizations (DDH), showed the two strains were conspecific (93.8%), while all other species (<31.5%) were well below the species threshold of 70%. Based upon the consensus of phylogenetic and phenotypic analyses, we conclude that these strains represent a novel species within the genus Bacillus, for which the name Bacillus nakamurai sp. nov. is proposed, with type strain NRRL B-41091T (=CCUG T).