Halorubrum gandharaense sp. nov., an alkaliphilic haloarchaeon from commercial rock salt

• DOI: 10.1099/ijs.0.000261
• Publication Date: 2015-04-14T02:32:53Z
• Authors: Yusuke Kondo; Hiroaki Minegishi; Akinobu Echigo; Yasuhiro Shimane; Masahiro Kamekura; Takashi Itoh; Moriya Ohkuma; Naoko Takahashi-Ando; Yasumasa Fukushima; Yasuhiko Yoshida; Ron Usami
• Keywords: Base Composition; 0303 health sciences; Pigmentation; Molecular Sequence Data; Temperature; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Sodium Chloride; 03 medical and health sciences; DNA, Archaeal; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Pakistan; Halorubrum; Phospholipids; Phylogeny

A Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, pleomorphic rod-shaped, orange–red-pigmented, facultatively aerobic and haloalkaliphilic archaeon, strain MK13-1T, was isolated from commercial rock salt imported from Pakistan. The NaCl, pH and temperature ranges for growth of strain MK13-1Twere 3.0–5.2 M NaCl, pH 8.0–11.0 and 15–50 °C, respectively. Optimal growth occurred at 3.2–3.4 M NaCl, pH 9.0–9.5 and 45 °C. Addition of Mg2+was not required for growth. The major polar lipids of the isolate were C20C20and C20C25archaeol derivatives of phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol phosphate methyl ester. Glycolipids were not detected. The DNA G+C content was 64.1 mol%. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain MK13-1Twas most closely related to those of the species of the genusHalorubrum,Halorubrum luteumCECT 7303T(95.9 % similarity),Halorubrum alkaliphilumJCM 12358T(95.3 %),Halorubrum kocuriiJCM 14978T(95.3 %) andHalorubrum lipolyticumJCM 13559T(95.3 %). TherpoB′gene sequence of strain MK13-1Thad < 90 % sequence similarity to those of other members of the genusHalorubrum. Based on the phylogenetic analysis and phenotypic characterization, strain MK13-1Tmay represent a novel species of the genusHalorubrum, for which the nameHalorubrum gandharaensesp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain MK13-1T( = JCM 17823T = CECT 7963T).