Paenibacillus soli sp nov., a xylanolytic bacterium isolated from soil

Two novel polysaccharide-degrading bacteria (strains DCY03(T) and DCY04) were isolated from a soil sample of a ginseng field in the Republic of Korea and were identified as representing members of the genus Paenibacillus on the basis of phenotypic characteristics and phylogenetic inference based on 16S rRNA gene sequences. Cells of the two isolates were Gram-positive, spore-forming, non-motile, straight rods. Based on DNA-DNA relatedness data, the strains were considered to belong to the same species. The DNA G + C content ranged from 56.6 to 57.0 mol%. The predominant cellular fatty acid was anteiso-C-15:0 (63.8-62.8%). Levels of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between the two novel isolates and the type strains of recognized Paenibacillus species were 91.4-96.5%. Strains DCY03(T) and DCY04 could clearly be distinguished from phylogenetically closely related Paenibacillus species on the basis of DNA-DNA relatedness data and phenotypic characteristics. Therefore, on the basis of these data, the two isolates are considered to represent a novel species of the genus Paenibacillus, for which the name Paenibacillus soli sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is DCY03(T) (= KCTC 13010(T) = LMG 23604(T)).