Alcanivorax pacificus sp. nov., isolated from a deep-sea pyrene-degrading consortium

Abstract

A taxonomic study was carried out on a novel bacterial strain, designated W11-5 T , which was isolated from a pyrene-degrading consortium enriched from deep-sea sediment of the Pacific Ocean. The isolate was Gram-reaction-negative and oxidase- and catalase-positive. Growth was observed in 0.5–12 % (w/v) NaCl and at 10–42 °C. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain W11-5 T was shown to belong to the genus Alcanivorax with a close relation to A. dieselolei B-5 T (93.9 % 16S rRNA sequence similarity), A. balearicus MACL04 T (93.1 %), A. hongdengensis A-11-3 T (93.1 %), A. borkumensis SK2 T (93.0 %), A. venustensis ISO4 T (93.0 %) and A. jadensis T9 T (92.9 %). Similarities between the gyrB gene sequences of W11-5 T and other species of the genus Alcanivorax were between 76.8 and 80.8 %. The principal fatty acids were C 12 : 0 3-OH (8.0 %), C 16 : 0 (29.1 %) and C 18 : 1 ω7 c (27.4 %). The G+C content of the chromosomal DNA was 60.8 mol%. Based on its morphology, physiology and fatty acid composition as well as the results of 16S rRNA and gyrB gene sequence analyses, strain W11-5 T ( = MCCC 1A00474 T = CCTCC AB 208236 T = LMG 25514 T ) represents a novel species of the genus Alcanivorax , for which the name Alcanivorax pacificus sp. nov. is proposed.