title: Rothia aeria sp. nov., Rhodococcus baikonurensis sp. nov. and Arthrobacter russicus sp. nov., isolated from air in the Russian space laboratory Mir.
abstract: Four Gram-positive bacteria, strains A1-17B(T), A1-22(T), A1-3(T) and A1-8, isolated from the air in the Russian space laboratory Mir, were subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. Phylogenetic analysis of the bacteria based on their 16S rDNA sequence showed that they belong to the genera Rothia (A1-17B(T)), Rhodococcus (A1-22(T)) and Arthrobacter (A1-3(T) and A1-8). Morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic and genomic characteristics supported the assignments of these strains to these genera, but they could not be classified as any existing species within each respective genus. 16S rDNA similarity values between strain A1-17B(T) and its neighbours, Rothia dentocariosa genomovar II, Rothia dentocariosa, Rothia mucilaginosa and Rothia nasimurium, were respectively 99.8, 98.0, 96.4 and 95.4 %. Polyphasic taxonomic evidence indicated that strain A1-17B(T) should be categorized together with the unofficially named Rothia dentocariosa genomovar II, but clearly differentiated them from the established species of the genus ROTHIA: Strain A1-22(T) formed a coherent cluster with Rhodococcus erythropolis, Rhodococcus globerulus, Rhodococcus marinonascens and Rhodococcus percolatus in 16S rDNA sequence analysis, but DNA-DNA relatedness values were only 45.5, 35.3, 18.9 and 21.9 %. Strains A1-3(T) and A1-8 shared 99.9 % 16S rDNA sequence similarity, and strain A1-3(T) showed the highest level of 16S rDNA similarity, 96.6 %, to Arthrobacter polychromogenes. Contrasting biochemical characteristics were also identified. Finally, as a result of the polyphasic taxonomic study, three of the strains are proposed as type strains of novel species: Rothia aeria sp. nov. (A1-17B(T)=GTC 867(T)=JCM 11412(T)=DSM 14556(T)), Rhodococcus baikonurensis sp. nov. (A1-22(T)=GTC 1041(T)=JCM 11411(T)=DSM 44587(T)) and Arthrobacter russicus sp. nov. (A1-3(T)=GTC 863(T)=JCM 11414(T)=DSM 14555(T)).
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology - Bioinformatics, Regeneration and Advanced Medical Science, Gifu University, Graduate School of Medicine, Tsukasa-machi 40, Gifu 500-8705, Japan.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology - Bioinformatics, Regeneration and Advanced Medical Science, Gifu University, Graduate School of Medicine, Tsukasa-machi 40, Gifu 500-8705, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawamura
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Osaka City University, Medical School, Abeno-ku, Osaka 545-8585, Japan.
authors.forename: Nagatoshi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fujiwara
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Osaka City University, Medical School, Abeno-ku, Osaka 545-8585, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Naka
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology - Bioinformatics, Regeneration and Advanced Medical Science, Gifu University, Graduate School of Medicine, Tsukasa-machi 40, Gifu 500-8705, Japan.
authors.forename: Hongsheng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology - Bioinformatics, Regeneration and Advanced Medical Science, Gifu University, Graduate School of Medicine, Tsukasa-machi 40, Gifu 500-8705, Japan.
authors.forename: Xinxiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Osaka City University, Medical School, Abeno-ku, Osaka 545-8585, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology - Bioinformatics, Regeneration and Advanced Medical Science, Gifu University, Graduate School of Medicine, Tsukasa-machi 40, Gifu 500-8705, Japan.
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ezaki
mesh_terms: D000391:Air Microbiology; D001173:Arthrobacter / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D001482:Base Composition; D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008835:Micrococcaceae / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010641:Phenotype; D010802:Phylogeny; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012240:Rhodococcus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D012426:Russia; D013026:Space Flight; D018531:Spacecraft
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D005227:Fatty Acids; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D002244:Carbon