Phaeospirillum chandramohanii sp nov., a phototrophic alphaproteobacterium with carotenoid glycosides

A Gram-negative, spiral-shaped, phototrophic, purple non-sulfur bacterial strain, designated JA145(T), was isolated from a freshwater habitat. Cells of strain JA145(T) were motile by means of a monopolar flagellum. Intracellular photosynthetic membranes were of the stacked type. Bacteriochlorophyll a and the carotenoid lycopene and its glucosides were present as photosynthetic pigments. There was no vitamin requirement for strain JA145(T). The predominant cellular fatty acids were C-16:1 omega 7c/C-16:1 omega 6c (22.24%), C-16:0 (22.97%) and C-18:1 omega 7c (43.24%). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain JA145(T) clustered with species of the genus Phaeospirillum, in the class Alphaproteobacteria. The highest sequence similarities of strain JA145(T) were found with the type strains of Phaeospirillum fulvum (96.12%) and Phaeospirillum molischianum, (96.19%). Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and the morphological and physiological characteristics, strain JA145(T) is considered to represent a novel species, for which the name Phaeospirillum chandramohanii sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is JA145(T) (=JCM 14933(T)=KCTC 5703(T)=NBRC 104961(T)).