Ideonella sakaiensis sp nov., isolated from a microbial consortium that degrades poly(ethylene terephthalate)

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped bacterium, designed strain 201-F6(T), was isolated from a microbial consortium that degrades poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) collected in Sakai city, Japan, and was characterized on the basis of a polyphasic taxonomic study. The cells were motile with a polar flagellum. The strain contained cytochrome oxidase and catalase. It grew within the pH range 5.5-9.0 (optimally at pH 7-7.5) and at 1542 degrees C (optimally at 30-37 degrees C). The major isoprenoid quinone was ubiquinone with eight isoprene units (Q-8). C-16:0, C-17:0 cyclo, C-18:1 omega 7c and C-12:0 2-OH were the predominant cellular fatty acids. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, lyso-phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and diphosphatidylglycerol. The G+C content of genomic DNA was 70.4 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis using the 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain 201-F6(T) was affiliated to the genus Ideonella, and was closely related to Ideonella dechloratans LMG 28178(T) (97.7 %) and Ideonella azotifigens JCM 15503(T) (96.6 %). Strain 201-F6(T) could be clearly distinguished from the related species of the genus Ideonella by its physiological and biochemical characteristics as well as by its phylogenetic position and DNA-DNA relatedness. Therefore, the strain represents a novel species of the genus Ideonella, for which the name Ideonella sakaiensis sp. nov. (type strain 201-F6(T) =NBRC 110686(T) =TISTR 2288(T)) is proposed.