Kribbella pittospori sp. nov., an endophytic actinobacterium isolated from the surface-sterilized stem of an Australian native apricot tree, Pittosporum angustifolium.

Abstract

An endophytic actinobacterium, strain PIP 158T, was isolated from the stem of a native apricot tree (Pittosporum angustifolium) collected from the grounds of Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia. As a result of a polyphasic taxonomic study, this strain was identified as a member of the genus Kribbella. This strain was a Gram-stain-positive, aerobic actinobacterium with well-developed substrate mycelia which were non-motile and with hyphae fragmenting into short to elongated rod-like elements. Phylogenetic evaluation based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis placed this isolate in the family Nocardioidaceae, being most closely related to Kribbella sandramycini ATCC 39419T and Kribbella albertanoniae BC640T which share a similarity of 99. 26 and 99.18 % with Kribbella hippodromi S1.4T, respectively. Chemotaxonomic data including cell-wall components, major menaquinones and major fatty acids confirmed the affiliation of strain PIP 158T to the genus Kribbella. The results of the phylogenetic analysis, including physiological and biochemical studies in combination with DNA-DNA hybridization, allowed the genotypic and phenotypic differentiation of strain PIP 158T from the closest related species with validly published names. The name proposed for the novel species is Kribbella pittospori sp. nov. The type strain is PIP 158T (=DSM 23717T=NRRL B-24813T).