Psychroglaciecola arctica gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from Arctic glacial foreland soil

Abstract

A novel pink-pigmented, facultatively methylotrophic strain, designated M6-76T, was isolated from glacial foreland soil near Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard Archipelago, Norway. Cells of strain M6-76T were rod-shaped (0.4-0.7×0.8-2.0 µm), Gram-stain-negative, aerobic and motile by a single polar flagellum. Growth occurred at 4-28 °C (optimum 18 °C) and at pH 5-8 (optimum pH 7). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain M6-76T belonged to the family Methylobacteriaceae. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of the novel strain showed 94.6%, 94.0% and 93.9% sequence similarity to those of Methylobacterium salsuginis MRT, Methylobacterium organophilum ATCC 27886T and Microvirga subterranea FaiI4T, respectively. Cells could utilize methanol as the sole source of carbon and energy but not formate. The major respiratory quinone was Q-10. The polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine and two unknown polar lipids. The predominant cellular fatty acids were summed feature 8 (C18:1ω7c and/or C18:1ω6c), summed feature 3 (C16:1ω6c and/or C16:1ω7c) and C16:0. The DNA G+C content was 67 mol%. The polyphasic data presented in this study indicated that the isolate should be classified as representing a novel species of a new genus within the family Methylobacteriaceae. The name Psychroglaciecola arctica gen. nov., sp. nov. is therefore proposed for the isolate. The type strain of the type species is M6-76T (=CCTCC AB 2013033T=KACC 17684T).