Albibacter methylovorans gen. nov., sp nov., a novel aerobic, facultatively autotrophic and methylotrophic bacterium that utilizes dichloromethane

A novel genus, Albibacter, with one species, Albibacter methylovorans sp, nov., is proposed for a facultatively chemolithotrophic and methylotrophic bacterium (strain DM10(T)) with the ribulose bisphosphate (RuBP) pathway of C-1 assimilation. The bacterium is a Gram-negative, aerobic, asporogenous, nonmotile, colourless rod that multiplies by binary fission. The organism utilizes dichloromethane, methanol, methylamine, formate and CO,IH,, as well as a variety of polycarbon compounds, as carbon and energy sources. It is neutrophilic and mesophilic. The major cellular fatty acids are straight-chain unsaturated C-18:1, saturated C-16:0, and cyclopropane C-19:0, acids. The main ubiquinone is Q-10. The dominant phospholipids are phosphatidyl ethanolamine, phosphatidyl glycerol, phosphatidyl choline and cardiolipin. The DNA G+C content is 66.7 mol%. Strain DM10(T) has a very low degree of DNA-DNA hybridization (4-7 %) with the type species of the genera Paracoccus, Xanthobacter, Blastobacter, Angulomicrobium, Ancylobacter and Ralstonia of RuBP pathway methylobacteria. Another approach, involving comparative 16S rDNA analysis, has shown that the novel isolate represents a separate branch within the alpha -2 subgroup of the Proteobacteria. The type species of the new genus is Albibacter methylovorans sp. nov.; the type strain is DM10(T) (= VKM B-2236(T) = DSM 138'19(T)).