Deoxyribonucleic Acid Homologies of Hyphomicrobium spp., Hyphomonas spp., and Other Hyphal, Budding Bacteria

Abstract

The levels of genetic relatedness of 19 Hyphomicrobium strains which utilize one-carbon compounds were determined by deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-DNA hybridization in solution under optimal conditions (S1 nuclease technique). Most of these hyphomicrobia fell into four groups with high levels of relatedness (level of homology within each group, 86 to 110%). These groups were only distantly related to each other (levels of homology between groups, 1 to 9%). Three additional groups of C1-utilizing hyphomicrobia were represented by only one strain each. In addition, the levels of DNA-DNA homology of four Hyphomonas species and 11 Hyphomicrobium-Hyphomonas-like isolates were determined. Seven of these isolates formed three groups containing two or three strains each; the level of homology within each group was 94 to 120%. These groups of peptide-utilizing strains were related to Hyphomonas spp. at a DNA-DNA homology level of 13 to 43%; thus, they represented new species of Hyphomonas. Four of the isolates had less than 10% DNA homology with either Hyphomicrobium reference strains or Hyphomonas spp. Strain B-1408 was distinguished by its DNA base composition of 46.19 mol% guanine plus cytosine, which is 14 mol% below the average base composition of Hyphomicrobium spp. or Hyphomonas spp. The levels of genetic relatedness of other hyphal, budding bacteria, such as Pedomicrobium spp., genus F, Rhodomicrobium vannielii, and genus T, to Hyphomicrobium sp. strain MC-750 were too low to be evaluated by DNA-DNA hybridization techniques.