Description of Polaribacter batillariae sp. nov., Polaribacter cellanae sp. nov., and Polaribacter pectinis sp. nov., novel bacteria isolated from the gut of three types of South Korean shellfish

Three aerobic, Gram-negative, and rod-shaped bacterial strains, designated strains G4M1(T), SM13(T), and L12M9(T), were isolated from the gut of Batillaria multiformis, Cellana toreuma, and Patinopecten yessoensis collected from the Yellow Sea in South Korea. All the strains grew optimally at 25 degrees C, in the presence of 2% (w/v) NaCl, and at pH 7. These three strains, which belonged to the genus Polaribacter in the family Flavobacteriaceae, shared < 98.8% in 16S rRNA gene sequence and < 86.68% in whole-genome sequence with each other. Compared with the type strains of Polaribacter, isolates showed the highest sequence similarity to P. haliotis KCTC 52418(T) (< 98.68%), followed by P. litorisediminis KCTC 52500(T) (< 98.13%). All the strains contained MK-6 as their predominant menaquinone and iso-C-15:0 as their major fatty acid. Moreover, all the strains had phosphatidylethanolamine as their polar lipid component. In addition, strain G4M1(T) had two unidentified lipids and three unidentified aminolipids, strain SM13(T) had three unidentified lipids and three unidentified aminolipids, and strain L12M9(T) had three unidentified lipids and one unidentified aminolipid. The DNA G + C contents of strains G4M1(T), SM13(T), and L12M9(T) were 31.0, 30.4, and 29.7 mol%, respectively. Based on phenotypic, phylogenetic, chemotaxonomic, and genotypic findings, strains G4M1(T) (= KCTC 82388(T) = DSM 112372(T)), SM13(T) (= KCTC 82389(T) = DSM 112373(T)), and L12M9(T) (= KCTC 62751(T) = DSM 112374(T)) were classified into the genus Polaribacter as the type strains of novel species, for which the names Polaribacter batillariae sp. nov., Polaribacter cellanae sp. nov., and Polaribacter pectinis sp. nov., respectively, have been proposed.

Automated summary

Three novel bacterial strains were isolated from the gut of three different marine organisms, and they belong to the genus Polaribacter. These strains show distinct characteristics in terms of morphology and physiology. Based on their genetic and biochemical features, they are classified as novel species.