Methylopila jiangsuensis sp nov., an aerobic, facultatively methylotrophic bacterium

The taxonomic status was determined of an aerobic, facultatively methylotrophic strain, JZL-4(T), isolated from activated sludge. The cells were Gram-negative, asporogenous, colourless, motile, short rods. The strain utilized methanol, methylamine, formate and a variety of polycarbon compounds, but not methane, dichloromethane or CO2/H-2, as carbon and energy sources. C-1 compounds were assimilated via the isocitrate lyase-negative serine pathway. Optimal growth occurred at 30 degrees C, pH 6.5-7.5 and 0.5% (w/v) NaCl. The major cellular fatty acids were C-18:1 omega 7c and C-18:0. The major phospholipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine (PME); PME, the main phospholipid of strain JZL-4(T), was absent or present in only minor amounts in Methylopila capsulata IM1(T), Methylopila helvetica DM9(T) and Albibacter methylovorans DM10(T). The major ubiquinone was Q-10. The DNA G+C content of strain JZL-4(T) was 70.4 mol% (T-m). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that the strain showed high sequence similarities to M. capsulata IM1(T) (97.2%), A. methylovorans DM10(T) (94.9%) and M. helvetica DM9(T) (94.1%), and showed less than 94% similarity to strains of other species with validly published names. Strain JZL-4(T) had a low level of DNA DNA relatedness (34%) with M. capsulata IM1(T). On the basis of phenotypic, genetic and phylogenetic data, strain JZL-4(T) is proposed to represent a novel species of the genus Methylopila, with the name Methylopila jiangsuensis sp. nov. The type strain is strain JZL-4(T) (=ACCC 05406(T) =DSM 22718(T) =VKM B-2555(T)).