Thermococcus prieurii sp. nov., a hyperthermophilic archaeon isolated from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent.
A novel hyperthermophilic, anaerobic archaeon, strain Bio-pl-0405IT2(T), was isolated from a hydrothermal chimney sample collected from the East Pacific Rise at 2700 m depth in the 'Sarah Spring' area (7° 25' 24" S 107° 47' 66" W). Cells were irregular, motile cocci (0.8-1.5 µm in diameter) and divided by constriction. Growth was observed at temperatures between 60 °C and 95 °C with an optimum at 80 °C. The pH range for growth was between pH 4.0 and pH 8.0 with an optimum around pH 7.0. Strain Bio-pl-0405IT2(T) grew at salt concentrations of 1-5 % (w/v) NaCl with an optimum at 2 %. The novel isolate grew by fermentation or sulphur respiration on a variety of organic compounds. It was a chemoorganoheterotrophic archaeon growing preferentially with yeast extract, peptone and tryptone as carbon and energy sources and sulphur and organic compounds as electron acceptors; it also grew on maltose and starch. Sulphur or l-cystine were required for growth and were reduced to hydrogen sulfide. The strain was resistant to rifampicin, chloramphenicol, vancomycin and kanamycin (all at 100 µg ml(-1)) but was sensitive to tetracycline. The G+C content of its genomic DNA was 53.6 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis of the almost complete 16S rRNA gene sequence (1450 bp) of strain Bio-pl-0405IT2(T) showed that the novel isolate belonged to the genus Thermococcus. DNA-DNA hybridization values with the two closest relatives Thermococcus hydrothermalis AL662(T) and Thermococcus celer JCM 8558(T) were below the threshold value of 70 %. On the basis of the physiological and genotypic distinctness, we propose a novel species, Thermococcus prieurii sp. nov. The type strain is Bio-pl-0405IT2(T) ( = CSUR P577(T)= JCM 16307(T)).
UMR6197, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, IUEM, Technopôle Brest-Iroise, F-29280 Plouzané, France.
Aurore
A
Gorlas
UMR6197, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, IUEM, Technopôle Brest-Iroise, F-29280 Plouzané, France.
Karine
K
Alain
UMR6197, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, IUEM, Technopôle Brest-Iroise, F-29280 Plouzané, France.
Nadège
N
Bienvenu
UMR6197, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, IUEM, Technopôle Brest-Iroise, F-29280 Plouzané, France.
Claire
C
Geslin
D001482:Base Composition; D019641:DNA, Archaeal / Q000235:genetics; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D060086:Hydrothermal Vents / Q000382:microbiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012623:Seawater / Q000382:microbiology; D019712:Thermococcus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D014871:Water Microbiology
D019641:DNA, Archaeal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S