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Title: Streptomyces aridus sp. nov., isolated from a high altitude Atacama Desert soil and emended description of Streptomyces noboritoensis Isono et al. 1957

Author
item Labeda, David
item IDRIS, HAMIDAH - Newcastle University
item NOUIOUI, IMEN - Newcastle University
item MONTERO-CALASANZ, MARIA - Newcastle University
item GOODFELLOW, MICHAEL - Newcastle University
item CASTRO, JEAN - University Of Chile
item ASENJO, JUAN - University Of Chile
item BULL, ALAN - University Of Kent

Submitted to: Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/2/2016
Publication Date: 2/9/2017
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/5749859
Citation: Idris, H., Labeda, D.P., Nouioui, I., Castro, J.F., Montero-Calasanz, M., Bull, A.T., Asenjo, J.A., Goodfellow, M. 2017. Streptomyces aridus sp. nov., isolated from a high altitude Atacama Desert soil and emended description of Streptomyces noboritoensis Isono et al. 1957. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek. 110(5):705–717.

Interpretive Summary: A study of the microbial biodiversity in desert soil from the Atacama Desert in Chile, one of the most arid locations on earth, resulted in the isolation of a novel strain identified as a member of the actinobacterial genus Streptomyces that produced new metabolites. This genus contains over 700 described species and required that this strain be characterized by assessing morphological, physiological, and molecular genetic properties to confirm that a novel species, for which the name Streptomyces aridus is proposed, is present in this unusual ecosystem. This discovery will be of great value to scientists studying microbial ecology in extreme environments and particularly to scientists working in biotechnology and involved in the quest for new sources of useful antibiotics and other metabolites, mainly because the majority of all commercial antibiotics to date are produced by actinobacteria.

Technical Abstract: A polyphasic study was undertaken to determine the taxonomic status of a Streptomyces strain which had been isolated from a high altitude Atacama Desert soil and shown to have bioactive properties. The strain, isolate H9T, was found to have chemotaxonomic, cultural, and morphological properties that placed it in the genus Streptomyces. 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses showed that the isolate formed a distinct branch at the periphery of a well-delineated subclade in the Streptomyces 16S rRNA gene tree together with the type strains of Streptomyces crystallinus, Streptomyces melanogenes, and Streptomyces noboritoensis. Multi-locus sequence analysis (MLSA) based on five house-keeping gene alleles showed that isolate H9T was most closely related to the latter two type strains and to Streptomyces polyantibioticus NRRL B-24448T. The isolate was distinguished readily from the type strains of S. melanogenes, S. noboritoensis, and S. polyantibioticus using a combination of phenotypic properties. Consequently, the isolate is considered to represent a new species of Streptomyces for which the name Streptomyces aridus sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is H9T (=NCIMB 14965T= NRRL-B65268T). The MLSA and phenotypic data show that the S. melanogenes and S. noboritoensis strains belong to a single species therefore it is proposed that S. noboritoensis be recognised as a heterotypic synonym of S. melanogenes for which an emended description is given.