Paenibacillus gansuensis sp nov., isolated from desert soil of Gansu Province in China

A Gram-positive, endospore-forming, rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain B518(T), was isolated from a desert-soil sample from Gansu Province in China. The isolate was strictly aerobic and was motile by means of several flagella. The strain grew optimally at 35-40 degrees C and at pH 7-0-7-5. The predominant fatty acids of strain B518(T) were anteiso-C-15:0, C-16:0, anteiso-C-17:0, iso-C-16:0 and iso-C-15:0. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 50 mol% and the predominant quinone was IMK-7. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses showed that strain B518(T) formed a distinct phyletic line within the genus Paenibacillus and was most closely related to Paenibacillus chitinolyticus IFO 15660(T), with a 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 95-8 %. The levels of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with respect to other type strains of Paenibaciflus species were below 95-1 %. On the basis of the chemotaxonomic data and molecular properties, strain B518(T) represents a novel species within the genus Paenibacillus, for which the name Paenibacillus gansuensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is B518(T) (= KCTC 3950(T) =DSM 16968(T)).