Thermocrinis jamiesonii sp. nov., a thiosulfate-oxidizing, autotropic thermophile isolated from a geothermal spring.

Abstract

An obligately thermophilic, chemolithotrophic, microaerophilic bacterium, designated strain GBS1T, was isolated from the water column of Great Boiling Spring, Nevada, USA. Thiosulfate was required for growth. Although capable of autotrophy, growth of GBS1T was enhanced in the presence of acetate, peptone or Casamino acids. Growth occurred at 70-85 °C with an optimum at 80 °C, at pH 6.50-7.75 with an optimum at pH 7.25, with 0.5-8 % oxygen with an optimum at 1-2 % and with ≤ 200 mM NaCl. The doubling time under optimal growth conditions was 1.3 h, with a final mean cell density of 6.2 ± 0.5 × 107 cells ml- 1. Non-motile, rod-shaped cells 1.4-2.4 × 0.4-0.6 μm in size occurred singly or in pairs. The major cellular fatty acids (>5 % of the total) were C20 : 1ω9c, C18 : 0, C16 : 0 and C20 : 0. Phylogenetic analysis of the GBS1T 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated an affiliation with Thermocrinis ruber and other species of the genus Thermocrinis, but determination of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity ( ≤ 97.10 %) and in silico estimated DNA-DNA hybridization values ( ≤ 18.4 %) with the type strains of recognized Thermocrinis species indicate that the novel strain is distinct from described species. Based on phenotypic, genotypic and phylogenetic characteristics, a novel species, Thermocrinis jamiesonii sp. nov., is proposed, with GBS1T ( = JCM 19133T = DSM 27162T) as the type strain.