title: Ecophysiological diversity of a novel member of the genus Alteromonas, and description of Alteromonas mediterranea sp. nov.
abstract: Nine non-pigmented, motile, Gram-negative bacteria originally designated as Alteromonas macleodii deep-sea ecotypes, were isolated from seawater samples collected from four separate locations; two deep-sea sites in the Mediterranean Sea and surface water of the Aegean Sea and English Channel. The six strains studied in vitro were found to tolerate up to 20 % NaCl. The DNA-DNA relatedness between the deep-sea ecotype strains was found to be between 75 and 89 %, whilst relatedness with the validly named Alteromonas species was found to be between 31 and 69 %. The average nucleotide identity (ANI) amongst the deep-sea ecotype strains was found to be 98-100 %; the in silico genome-to-genome distance (GGD), 85-100 %; the average amino acid identity (AAI) of all conserved protein-coding genes, 95-100 %; and the strains possessed 30-32 of the Karlin's genomic signature dissimilarity. The ANI between the deep-sea ecotype strains and A. macleodii ATCC 27126(T) and Alteromonas australica H 17(T) was found to be 80.6 and 74.6 %, respectively. A significant correlation was observed between the phenotypic data obtained in vitro and data retrieved in silico from whole genome sequences. The results of a phylogenetic study that incorporated a 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, multilocus phylogenetic analysis (MLPA) and genomic analysis, together with the physiological, biochemical and chemotaxonomic data, clearly indicated that the group of deep-sea ecotype strains represents a distinct species within the genus Alteromonas. Based on these data, a new species, Alteromonas mediterranea, is proposed. The type strain is DE(T) ( = CIP 110805(T) = LMG 28347(T) = DSM 17117(T)).
authors.affiliation: Swinburne University of Technology, PO Box 218, Hawthorn, VIC, 3122, Australia, eivanova@swin.edu.au.
authors.forename: Elena P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Ivanova
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: López-Pérez
authors.forename: Mila
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zabalos
authors.forename: Song Ha
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Hayden K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Webb
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.forename: Kiril
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lagutin
authors.forename: Mikhail
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vyssotski
authors.forename: Russell J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Crawford
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Valera
mesh_terms: D020591:Alteromonas / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D001267:Atlantic Ocean; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D008124:Locomotion; D008522:Mediterranean Sea; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012623:Seawater / Q000382:microbiology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D012965:Sodium Chloride