<i>Sulfurospirillum tamanensis</i> sp. nov., a Facultative Anaerobic Alkaliphilic Bacterium from a Terrestrial Mud Volcano

Abstract

Abstract—An alkaliphilic, facultatively anaerobic bacterium (strain T05bT) was isolated from a terrestrial mud volcano on the Taman Peninsula, Russia. The cells of the isolate were motile spirilla 0.5 µm thick and 1.5–2.5 µm long. Strain T05bT grew at 6–42°C (optimum at 30°C), pH 8.0–11.0 (optimum at 9.0), and 0–14% NaCl (wt/vol). Lactate, formate, malate, pyruvate, H2, elemental sulfur, sulfite, thiosulfate, and sulfide were used as electron donors; nitrate, fumarate, elemental sulfur, sulfite, thiosulfate, dimethyl sulfoxide, arsenate, and oxygen could be used as electron acceptors. Nitrate was reduced to ammonium. Malate, pyruvate, and fumarate were fermented. Microaerobic growth was possible at up to 3% О2 (vol/vol). Strain T05bT did not use sulfate and Fe(III) as electron acceptors, was unable of elemental sulfur, sulfite, or thiosulfate disproportionation, and did not ferment glucose, fructose, sucrose, lactate, formate, maleate, yeast extract, or peptone. The predominant fatty acids were C16:1 ω7 (45.9%), C16:0 (25.8%), and C18:1 ω7 (20.9%). The genome of strain T05bT was 2.46 Mb in size and had the G + C DNA content of 45.5%. It contained the genes encoding the following enzymes of energy metabolism: Nap nitrate reductase periplasmic complex, Phs/Psr thiosulfate/polysulfide reductase, Sqr sulfide:quinone oxidoreductase, and Arr respiratory arsenate reductase. Ac-cording to analysis of the 16S rRNA gene nucleotide sequence, strain T05bT exhibited 98.61% similarity to the type strain of Sulfurospirillum alkalitolerans (phylum “Campylobacterota”). Based on its phenotypic characteristics and the results of phylogenetic analysis, assignment of the isolate to a new Sulfurospirillum species, Sulfurospirillum tamanensis sp. nov., is proposed, with the type strain T05bT (=DSM 112596T = VKM B-3538T).