Aestuariicella hydrocarbonica gen. nov., sp nov., an aliphatic hydrocarbon-degrading bacterium isolated from a sea tidal flat

A Gram-staining-negative, strictly aerobic bacterial strain, designated SM-6(T), was isolated from a sea tidal flat of the Dangjin bay, South Korea. Strain SM-6(T) was able to degrade a broad range of aliphatic hydrocarbons. Cells were catalase- and oxidase-positive and non-motile rods. Growth of strain SM-6(T) was observed at 10-37 degrees C (optimum, 20-25 degrees C), at pH 5.5-9.0 (optimum, pH 6.5-7.5) and in the presence of 0-10% (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 2-3%). The only isoprenoid quinone detected was ubiquinone-8 (Q-8). C-17:1 omega 8c, C-11:0 3-OH, summed feature 3 (comprising C-16:1 omega 7c and/or C-16:1 omega 6c), C-9:0 3-OH and C-10:0 3-OH were observed as the major cellular fatty acids and phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and four unidentified lipids were detected as polar lipids. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 47.5 mol%. Strain SM-6(T) was most closely related to Pseudomaricurvus alkylphenolicus KU41G(T) (95.5%), Maricurvus nonylphenolicus KU41E(T) (94.4%) and Pseudoteredinibacter isoporae SW-11(T) (94.3%), based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, and phylogenetic analyses showed that strain SM-6(T) formed a phyletic lineage distinct from the closely related genera. On the basis of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and molecular features, strain SM-6(T) represents a novel genus and species of the order Alteromonadales in the class Gammaproteobacteria, for which name Aestuariicella hydrocarbonica gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SM-6(T) (= KACC 18121(T)=JCM 30134(T)).