title: Phylogeny of marine Bacillus isolates from the Gulf of Mexico.
abstract: The phylogeny of 11 pigmented, aerobic, spore-forming isolates from marine sources was studied. Forty-two biochemical characteristics were examined, and a 16S rDNA sequence was obtained for each isolate. In a phylogenetic tree based on 16S sequencing, four isolates (NRRL B-14850, NRRL B-14904, NRRL B-14907, and NRRL B-14908) clustered with B. subtilis and related organisms; NRRL B-14907 was closely related to B. amyloliquefaciens. NRRL B-14907 and NRRL B-14908 were phenotypically similar to B. amyloliquefaciens and B. pumilus, respectively. Three strains (NRRL B-14906, NRRL B-14910, and NRRL B-14911) clustered in a clade that included B. firmus, B. lentus, and B. megaterium. NRRL B-14910 was closely related phenotypically and phylogenetically to B. megaterium. NRRL B-14905 clustered with the mesophilic round spore-producing species, B. fusiformis and B. sphaericus; the isolate was more closely related to B. fusiformis. NRRL B-14905 displayed characteristics typical of the B. sphaericus-like organisms. NRRL B-14909 and NRRL B-14912 clustered with the Paenibacillus species and displayed characteristics typical of the genus. Only NRRL B-14851, an unusually thin rod that forms very small spores, may represent a new Bacillus species.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, TX 77204-5513, USA. siefert@stat.rice.edu
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Siefert
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Larios-Sanz
authors.forename: L K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Slepecky
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Fox
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jurtshuk
mesh_terms: D001407:Bacillus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000032:analysis; D008800:Mexico; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D012623:Seawater / Q000382:microbiology*; D014871:Water Microbiology
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S