Paenibacillus zeae sp nov., isolated from maize (Zea mays L.) seeds

Four Gram-stain-positive bacterial strains, designated 6R2(T), 6R18, 3T2 and 3T10, isolated from seeds of hybrid maize (Zea mays L., Jingke 968) were investigated using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Cells were aerobic, motile, spore-forming and rod-shaped. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the isolates may represent a novel species of the genus Paenibacillus, the four closest neighbours being Paenibacillus lautus NRRL NRS-666(T) (97.1 % similarity), Paenibacillus glucanolyticus DSM 5162(T) (97.0 %), Paenibacillus lactis MB 1871(T) (97.0 %) and Paenibacillus chibensis JCM 9905(T) (96.8 %). The DNA G+C content of strain 6R2(T) was 51.8 mol%. Its polar lipid profile consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine. The predominant respiratory quinone was menaquinone 7 (MK-7) and the major fatty acids were anteiso-C-15 : 0 and iso-C-14 : 0. Strains 6R2(T), 6R18, 3T2 and 3T10 were clearly distinguished from the above type strains using phylogenetic analysis, DNA DNA hybridization, and a range of physiological and biochemical characteristics. It is evident from the genotypic and phenotypic data that strains 6R2(T), 6R18, 3T2 and 3T10 represent a novel species of the genus Paenibacillus, for which the name Paenibacillus zeae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 6R2(T) (=KCTC 33674(T)=CICC 23860(T)).