Psychroglaciecola arctica gen. nov., sp nov., isolated from Arctic glacial foreland soil

A novel pink-pigmented, facultatively methylotrophic strain, designated M6-76(T), was isolated from glacial foreland soil near Ny-Alesund, Svalbard Archipelago, Norway. Cells of strain M6-76(T). were rod-shaped (0.4-0.7x0.8-2.0 mu m), Gram-stain-negative, aerobic and motile by a single polar flagellum. Growth occurred at 4-28 degrees C (optimum 18 degrees C) and at pH 5-8 (optimum pH 7). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain M6-76(T) belonged to the family Methylobacteriaceae. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of the novel strain showed 94.6%, 94.0% and 93.9% sequence similarity to those of Methylobacterium salsuginis MRT, Methylobacterium organophilum ATCC 27886(T) and Microvirga subterranea Fail4(T), respectively. Cells could utilize methanol as the sole source of carbon and energy but not formate. The major respiratory quinone was Q-10. The polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine and two unknown polar lipids. The predominant cellular fatty acids were summed feature 8 (C-18:1 omega 7c and/or C-18:1 omega 6c, summed feature 3 (C-16:1 omega 6c and/or C-16:1 omega 7c) and C-16:0. The DNA G+C content was 67 mol%. The polyphasic data presented in this study indicated that the isolate should be classified as representing a novel species of a new genus within the family Methylobacteriaceae. The name Psychroglaciecola arctica gen. nov., sp. nov. is therefore proposed for the isolate. The type strain of the type species is M6-76(T) (=CCTCC AB 2013033(T)=KACC 17684(T)).