Characterization of Porphyrobacter sanguineus sp. nov., an aerobic bacteriochlorophyll-containing bacterium capable of degrading biphenyl and dibenzofuran.
Three strains of " Agrobacterium sanguineum", an aerobic marine bacterial species described previously, were re-characterized from phylogenetic and taxonomic viewpoints. 16S rDNA sequence comparisons showed that the " A. sanguineum" strains belong to the alpha-4 subgroup of alpha-Proteobacteria, with members of the genera Erythromicrobium and Porphyrobacter as their closest relatives. DNA-DNA hybridization studies indicated that the " A. sanguineum" strains were distinguishable from any previously known species of these genera. Bacteriochlorophyll a, monosaccharide-type glycosphingolipids, 2-OH fatty acids of C14:0, C15:0, C16:0, and C16:1, and ubiquinone-10 were detected in the " A. sanguineum" strains. The G+C of the DNA was 63.8-64.0 mol%. Two of the " A. sanguineum" strains, IAM 12620 (=ATCC 25659) and ATCC 25661, were able to grow with biphenyl and dibenzofuran as sole carbon source in the presence of 0.05% yeast extract. The medium in these cultures turned yellowish-orange at the exponential phase of growth due to the release of soluble chromogenic metabolites. The remaining " A. sanguineum" strain, ATCC 25660, and all test strains of Erythromicrobium and Porphyrobacter neither grew nor produced yellow-orange pigment with biphenyl or dibenzofuran. In PCR experiments, bphA1 gene, coding for the large subunit protein of biphenyl dioxygenase, was detected in " A. sanguineum" IAM 12620 and ATCC 25661. Based on these results, we propose classifying " A. sanguineum" IAM 12620 and ATCC 25661 as a new species of the genus Porphyrobacter with the name Porphyrobacter sanguineus sp. nov.
Hiraishi
Akira
A
Department of Ecological Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, Toyohashi 441-8580, Japan, hiraishi@eco.tut.ac.jp
Yonemitsu
Yoshitomo
Y
Matsushita
Mayumi
M
Shin
Yong Kook
YK
Kuraishi
Hiroshi
H
Kawahara
Kazuyoshi
K
D001420:Bacteria, Aerobic; D001429:Bacteriochlorophylls / Q000737:chemistry*; D001572:Benzofurans / Q000378:metabolism*; D001713:Biphenyl Compounds / Q000378:metabolism*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000145:classification; D010788:Photosynthesis; D010802:Phylogeny; D020560:Proteobacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism*; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000032:analysis; D013045:Species Specificity
D001429:Bacteriochlorophylls; D001572:Benzofurans; D001713:Biphenyl Compounds; D005227:Fatty Acids; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; C010574:biphenyl; C023614:dibenzofuran