Bacillus solisalsi sp nov., a halotolerant, alkaliphilic bacterium isolated from soil around a salt lake

A novel Gram-positive, motile, rod-shaped bacterium isolated from a saline soil in China was characterized by a polyphasic taxonomic approach. The strain, designated YC1(T), was halotolerant [tolerating up to 15 % (w/v) NaCl] and alkaliphilic (growing at a broad pH range of 5-13). 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that the isolate belonged to the genus Bacillus, showing highest similarity to Bacillus macauensis JCM 13285(T) (98.0%). However, DNA-DNA hybridization indicated low levels of genomic relatedness with B. macauensis JCM 13285(T) (8.5%). The major isoprenoid quinone was MK-7 and the cellular fatty acid profile consisted of significant amounts of iso-C-15:0 (38.6%) and anteiso-C-15:0 (35.9%). The predominant polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine. The G + C content of the genomic DNA was 41.8 mol%. On the basis of the polyphasic evidence from this study, strain YC1(T) (=KCTC 13181(T)= CGMCC 1.6854(T)) should be classified as the type strain of a novel species of the genus Bacillus, for which the name Bacillus solisalsi sp. nov. is proposed.