Saccharospirillum impatiens gen. nov., sp nov., a novel gamma-Proteobacterium isolated from hypersaline Ekho Lake (East Antarctica)

Labrenz, M., Lawson, P. A., Tindall, B. J., Collins, M. D. and Hirsch, P. (2003) Saccharospirillum impatiens gen. nov., sp nov., a novel gamma-Proteobacterium isolated from hypersaline Ekho Lake (East Antarctica). International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 53 (3). pp. 653-660. ISSN 1466-5026 doi: 10.1099/ijs.0.02406-0

Abstract/Summary

Five Gram-negative, motile, aerobic to microaerophilic spirilla were isolated from various depths of the hypersaline, heliothermal and meromictic Ekho Lake (East Antarctica). The strains are oxidase- and catalase-positive, metabolize a variety of sugars and carboxylic acids and have an absolute requirement for sodium ions. The predominant fatty acids of the organisms are C-16: (1)omega7c, C-16:0 and C(18:1)omega7c, with C-10:1 3-OH, C-10:0 3-OH, C-12:0 3-OH, C-14:1 3-OH, C-14:0 3-OH and C-19:1 present in smaller amounts. The main polar lipids are diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylmonomethylamine. The DNA base composition of the strains is 54-55 mol% G + C. 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons show that the isolates are related to the genera Oceanospirillum, Pseudospirillum, Marinospirillum, Halomonas and Chromohalobacter in the gamma-Proteobacteria. Morphological, physiological and genotypic differences from these previously described genera support the description of a novel genus and species, Saccharospirillum impatiens gen. nov., sp. nov. The type strain is EL-105(T) (= DSM 12546(T) = CECT 5721(T)).