Bacillus nanhaiisediminis sp nov., an alkalitolerant member of Bacillus rRNA group 6

A Gram-stain-positive, rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain NH3(T), was isolated from a sediment sample from the South China Sea and was subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. The isolate grew optimally at 37 degrees C and pH 9. Strain NH3(T) had cell-wall peptidoglycan based on meso-diaminopimelic acid and MK-7 as the predominant menaquinone. The cellular fatty acid profile included significant amounts of iso-C-15:0 and iso-C-14:0. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and diphosphatidylglycerol. The DNA G+C content of strain NH3(T) was 40.3 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that strain NH3(T) was a member of rRNA group 6 of the genus Bacillus, which includes alkalitolerant, alkaliphilic and halotolerant species. The closest phylogenetic relatives were Bacillus akibai 1139(T) (96.82% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity), B. pseudofirmus DSM 8715(T) (96.76%), B. okhensis Kh10-101(T) (96.76%) and B. alkalidiazotrophicus MS 6(T) (96.47%). Strain NH3(T) could be distinguished from these phylogenetically close neighbours based on a number of phenotypic properties. On the basis of phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics and phylogenetic data, we conclude that strain NH3(T) (=CGMCC 1.10116(T) =JCM 16507(T)) merits classification as the type strain of a novel species, for which the name Bacillus nanhaiisediminis sp. nov. is proposed.