Sphingopyxis baekryungensis sp nov., an orange-pigmented bacterium isolated from sea water of the Yellow Sea in Korea

A Gram-negative, motile, slightly halophilic bacterial strain, SW-150(T), was isolated from sea water of the Yellow Sea, Korea, and was characterized by a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Strain SW-150(T) grew optimally at 25-30 degrees C and in the presence of 2% (w/v) NaCl, The isolate could be distinguished from other Sphingopyxis species in producing an orange pigment. It contained ubiquinone-10 as the predominant respiratory lipoquinone and C-18: 1 omega 7c and C-17: 1 omega 6c as the major fatty acids. No 3-hydroxy fatty acids were detected. Major polar lipids were sphingoglycolipid, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine. The DNA G + C content was 63 mol%, Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses showed that strain SW-150(T) was phylogenetically affiliated to the genus Sphingopyxis of the family Sphingomonadaceae. Similarity values between the 16S rRNA gene sequences of strain SW-150(T) and the type strains of Sphingopyxis species ranged from 91.6 to 94.2%, making it possible to categorize strain SW-150(T) as a species that is separate from previously described Sphingopyxis species. On the basis of phenotypic properties and phylogenetic distinctiveness, SW-150(T) (=KCTC 12231(T) = DSM 16222(T)) should be classified as the type strain of a novel Sphingopyxis species, for which the name Sphingopyxis baekryungensis sp. nov. is proposed.