title: Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus gen. nov., sp. nov., a new, extremely halotolerant, hydrocarbon-degrading marine bacterium.
abstract: On the basis of phenotypical characteristics and analysis of 16S rRNA sequence, a new species belonging to a new genus is described, and the name Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus is proposed. This organism, isolated from Mediterranean seawater near a petroleum refinery, is a gram-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped bacterium. It grows at NaCl concentrations of 0.08 to 3.5 M and uses various hydrocarbons as the sole source of carbon and energy. Its DNA has a guanine-plus-cytosine content of 52.7 mol%. The 16S rRNA analysis shows a clear affiliation between M. hydrocarbonoclasticus and the gamma group of the phylum Proteobacteria. A close phylogenetic relationship appears among the species Marinomonas vaga, Oceanospirillum linum, Halomonas elongata, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Because of the impossibility of finding a single most closely related species, we suggest that this bacterium be assigned to a new genus, at least temporarily. The possibility of a revision of this status when new data appear is, however, not excluded. The type strain is M. hydrocarbonoclasticus SP.17 (= ATCC 49840).
authors.affiliation: Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Medicale, Nice, France.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Gauthier
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lafay
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Christen
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fernandez
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Acquaviva
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bonin
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Bertrand
mesh_terms: D001433:Bacteriolysis; D001482:Base Composition; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D003470:Culture Media; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry; D006088:Gram-Negative Aerobic Bacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000378:metabolism*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000737:chemistry; D012623:Seawater; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D013696:Temperature; D014871:Water Microbiology
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D006838:Hydrocarbons; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D012965:Sodium Chloride