Altererythrobacter marinus sp nov., isolated from deep seawater

A taxonomic study was carried out on strain H32(T), which was isolated from a crude-oil-degrading consortium enriched from deep seawater of the Indian Ocean. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain H32(T) showed highest similarity to that of Altererythrobacter luteolus SW-109(T) (96.7%); lower similarities were observed with other members of the genus Altererythrobacter (94.7-95.7%) and with members of the genera Erythrobacter (94.5-96.3%), Erythromicrobium (94.9%) and Porphyrobacter (94.3-95.3%). Phylogenetic analyses of all members of the family Erythrobacteraceae and several members of the family Sphingomonadaceae revealed that strain H32(T) formed a clade within the genus Altererythrobacter. The dominant fatty acids were C-16:0 (6.7%), C-18:1 omega 7c (44.3%) and 11-methyl C-18:1 omega 7c (25.4%). The major respiratory quinone was ubiquinone 10. The DNA G+C; content was 66.5 mol%. Strain H32(T) did not contain bacteriochlorophyll a. These characteristics are in good agreement with those of members of the genus Altererythrobacter. Therefore, according to its morphology, physiology, fatty acid composition and 16S rRNA gene sequence data, strain H32(T) belongs to the genus Altererythrobacter, but can be readily distinguished from known Altererythrobacter species. It is therefore proposed that strain H32(T) represents a novel species, Altererythrobacter marinus sp. nov., with H32(T) (=CCTCC AB 208229(T) =LMG 24629(T) =MCCC 1A01070(T)) as the type strain.