Abstract
The taxonomic position of a novel aerobic, Gram-positive actinobacteria, designated strain RB5T, was determined using a polyphasic approach. The strain, isolated from the gut of the fungus-farming termite Macrotermes natalensis, showed morphological, physiological and chemotaxonomic properties typical of the genus Streptomyces . Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, the closest phylogenetic neighbour of RB5T was Streptomyces polyrhachis DSM 42102T (98.87 %). DNA–DNA hybridization experiments between strain RB5T and S. polyrhachis DSM 42102T resulted in a value of 27.4 % (26.8 %). The cell wall of strain RB5T contained ll-diaminopimelic acid as the diagnostic amino acid. Mycolic acids and diagnostic sugars in whole-cell hydrolysates were not detected. The strain produced the following major phospholipids: diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylinositol-mannoside and phosphatidylserine. The menaquinone profile showed hexa- and octahydrogenated menaquinones containing nine isoprene units [MK-9(H6) and MK-9(H8)]. The strain exhibited a fatty acid profile containing the following major fatty acids: 12-methyltridecanoic acid (iso-C14 : 0) 12-methyltetradecanoic acid (anteiso-C15 : 0), 13-methyltetradecanoic acid (iso-C15 : 0) and 14-methylpentadecanoic acid (iso-C16 : 0). Here, we propose a novel species of the genus Streptomyces – Streptomyces smaragdinus with the type strain RB5T (=VKM Ac-2839T=NRRL B65539T).
Highlights
The class Actinobacteria harbours numerous genera including the well-k nown genus Streptomyces, which was first introduced by Waksman and Henrici [1]
We focused on the isolation and characterization of culturable microbes from fungus-growing termites of the genus Macrotermes natalensis
In February 2015 symbiotic actinomycetes associated with fungus-g rowing termites of the genus Macrotermes natalensis were collected from colony Mn160 (25° 44′ 34.7′′ S 28° 15′ 38.7′′ E, Pretoria, South Africa) and strain RB5T was isolated from the guts of termite workers [11]
Summary
Streptomyces smaragdinus sp. nov., isolated from the gut of the fungus growing-termite Macrotermes natalensis. Nov., isolated from the gut of the fungus growing-termite Macrotermes natalensis. Schwitalla1†, René Benndorf1†, Karin Martin1,*, John Vollmers, Anne-Kristin Kaster, Z. Wilhelm de Beer, Michael Poulsen and Christine Beemelmanns1,*
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