Pedobacter jejuensis sp nov., isolated from soil of a pine grove, and emended description of the genus Pedobacter

A Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic, non-motile, rod-shaped bacterial strain, THG-DR3(T), was isolated from soil of a pine grove in Jeju island, Republic of Korea. Strain THG-DR3(T) grew optimally at 20-25 degrees C, at pH 7.0-8.0 and in R2A broth without added NaCl. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that strain THG-DR3(T) belongs to the genus Pedobacter. The closest relatives based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity were Pedobacter aquatilis AR107(T)(98.0 %), Pedobacter alluvionis NWER-II11(T) (97.7%), Pedobacter borealis G-1(T) (97.7 %) and Pedobacter ginsengiterrae DCY49(T) (97.4 %). The G+C content of the genomic DNA of strain THG-DR3(T) was 47.5 mol%. Levels of DNA DNA relatedness between strain THG-DR3(T) and its closest phylogenetic neighbours were below 44.7%. The presence of menaquinone 7 and of isoC(15:0) and summed feature 3 (comprising C-16:1 omega 7c and/or C-16:1 omega 6C) as the major fatty acids supported the affiliation of strain THG-DR3T to the genus Pedobacter. The polar lipids of strain THG-DR3(T) consisted of phosphatidylethanolamine, three unidentified aminophospholipids, five unidentified aminolipids and three unidentified lipids. The results of physiological and biochemical tests allowed the differentiation of strain THG-DR3(T) from recognized species of the genus Pedobacter. Strain THG-DR3(T) (=KACC 17172(T)=JCM 18824(T)) is proposed as the type strain of a novel species of the genus Pedobacter, Pedobacter jejuensis sp. nov. An emended description of the genus Pedobacter is also proposed.