title: Proposal of Pseudorhodobacter ferrugineus gen nov, comb nov, for a non-photosynthetic marine bacterium, Agrobacterium ferrugineum, related to the genus Rhodobacter.
abstract: The marine gram-negative non-photosynthetic bacterium, Agrobacterium ferrugineum IAM 12616(T) forms one cluster with the species of the photosynthetic genus Rhodobacter in phylogenetic trees based on molecules of 16S rRNA, 23S rRNA and DNA gyrases. Agrobacterium ferrugineum and Rhodobacter species are similar in that growth occurs without NaCl in the culture medium (optimal NaCl concentration for growth of P. ferrugineus is 1%) and their major hydroxy fatty acid compositions are 3-hydroxy decanoic acids (3-OH 10:0) and 3-hydroxy tetradecanoic acids (3-OH 14:1). However, A. ferrugineum differs from Rhodobacter species in G+C content (58 mol% in A. ferrugineum versus 64-73 mol% in Rhodobacter species), in having an insertion in its 16S rRNA gene sequence, and in lacking photosynthetic abilities, bacteriochlorophyll a and intracytoplasmic membrane systems. Furthermore, experiments using PCR and Southern hybridization show that A. ferrugineum does not have puhA gene and puf genes localized near the opposite ends of the photosynthesis gene cluster of Rhodobacter capsulatus. It suggests that A. ferrugineum may not have any genes for photosynthesis. We propose the transfer of A. ferrugineum IAM 12616(T) to the genus Pseudorhodobacter gen. nov. as Pseudorhodobacter ferrugineus comb. nov. Although Pseudorhodobacter ferrugineus disturbs the phylogenetic monophyly of the genus Rhodobacter, this taxonomic proposal seems adequate until it has been clarified whether P. ferrugineus possesses an incomplete photosynthetic apparatus.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan. uchino@nbrc.nite.go.jp
authors.forename: Yoshihito
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Uchino
authors.forename: Tohru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hamada
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yokota
mesh_terms: D001482:Base Composition; D027081:DNA Gyrase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000032:analysis; D045342:Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes; D010788:Photosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D045322:Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012338:RNA, Ribosomal, 23S / Q000235:genetics; D012231:Rhizobium / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D016992:Rhodobacter / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D012623:Seawater / Q000382:microbiology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D045342:Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes; D045322:Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D012338:RNA, Ribosomal, 23S; D027081:DNA Gyrase