Characterization of bacteria of the genus Dietzia: an updated review

Abstract

The aim of this study was to characterize several aspects of species of the genus Dietzia, such as current taxonomic placement, morphological and growth characteristics, biochemical reactions, cellular lipid and fatty acid composition, the amino acids and sugars of whole-cell hydrolysates and the respiratory quinone system, and genomic guanine and cytosine (G + C) content. The species chosen for study were D. aerolata, D. alimentaria, D. aurantiaca, D. cerdiciphylli, D. cinnamea, D. kunjamensis, D. lutea, D. maris, D. natronolimnaea, D. papillomatosis, D. psychralcaliphila, D. schimae, and D. timorensis. The colony morphology study revealed that the colonies were small, smooth, circular and convex. Nitrate reduction, H2S production, hydrolysis of urea, starch, and Tween 80, and the Voges–Proskauer and methyl red tests were performed for biochemical differentiation of the various Dietzia strains. Optimum growth temperature and pH for the different strains were 25–30 °C and 7–8, respectively. Among the strains studied, D. timorensis ID05-A0528T had the lowest tolerance level to NaCl (7 %). This strain was also able to utilize a wide range of compounds as the sole carbon source. Short-chain mycolic acids were present in these bacteria. The cell wall contained meso-diaminopimelic acid, arabinose, and galactose; the glycan moiety of the cell wall contained acetyl residues. The major menaquinone was MK-8 (H2). The G + C contents of the DNA ranged from 64.7 (D. alimentaria 72T) to 73 mol % (D. maris DSM 43672T). The most important phospholipids in these strains were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol mannoside, phosphatidylinositol, and phosphatidylethanolamine.