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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 #338569
Research Project: Use of Microorganisms to Manage Weeds and Insect Pests in Turf and Agricultural Systems

Location: Crop Bioprotection Research

Title: Gracilimonas halophila sp. nov., isolated from a marine solar saltern

Author
item LU, DECHEN - Shandong University
item XIA, JUN - Shandong University
item Dunlap, Christopher
item Rooney, Alejandro - Alex
item DU, ZONG-JUN - Shandong University

Submitted to: International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/15/2017
Publication Date: 8/22/2017
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/5934963
Citation: Lu, D., Xia, J., Dunlap, C.A., Rooney, A.P., Du, Z. 2017. Gracilimonas halophila sp. nov., isolated from a marine solar saltern. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 67:3251-3255. doi: 10.1099/ijsem.0.002093.

Interpretive Summary: ARS researchers from Peoria, IL, collaborated with scientists from Shandong University in Weihai, China, to characterize a novel bacterium found in marine environment. This manuscript reports on the characterization of a new species of bacteria Gracilimonas halophila, that grows in high salt concentrations. This species possesses novel and unusual biochemical characteristics, which makes it attractive for various agricultural and biotechnological purposes. As such, this strain was accessioned into the Crop Bioprotection Research Unit’s culture collection where its potential for biological control applications can be assessed in future studies.

Technical Abstract: A Gram-stain-negative and facultatively anaerobic bacterium, designated WDS2C40**T, was isolated from a marine solar saltern in Weihai, China. Cells of strain WDS2C40**T were 0.4–0.5 µm wide and 4.0–9.0 µm long, catalase-positive and oxidase-negative. Strain WDS2C40**T was tolerant to moderate salt concentrations. Growth occurred at 20–42 deg C (optimum, 37–40 deg C), at pH 7.0–8.5 (optimum, 7.5–8.0) and with 2–16 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 6–8 %). A phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene indicated that strain WDS2C40**T was a member of the genus Gracilimonas within the family Balneolaceae. The most closely related neighbour was Gracilimonas rosea JCM 18898**T (95.92 % similarity). The major respiratory quinone of strain WDS2C40**T was menaquinone MK-7, and the dominant fatty acids were iso-C13 : 0, iso-C15 : 0 and summed feature 3. The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, one kind of glycolipid and two unidentified phospholipids. The genomic DNA G+C content was 41.7 mol%. Based on this polyphasic taxonomic study, strain WDS2C40**T is considered to represent a novel species in the genus Gracilimonas, for which the name Gracilimonas halophila sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is WDS2C40**T (=KCTC 52042**T=MCCC 1H00135**T).