1. Rhodoferax antarcticus sp. nov., a moderately psychrophilic purple nonsulfur bacterium isolated from an Antarctic microbial mat.
- Author
-
Madigan MT, Jung DO, Woese CR, and Achenbach LA
- Subjects
- Antarctic Regions, Bacteria cytology, Bacterial Physiological Phenomena, Bacteriochlorophylls metabolism, Base Composition, Betaproteobacteria cytology, Betaproteobacteria isolation & purification, Betaproteobacteria physiology, Carbon metabolism, Carotenoids metabolism, Culture Media, DNA, Bacterial chemistry, DNA, Bacterial genetics, Genes, rRNA, Molecular Sequence Data, Nitrogen metabolism, Phylogeny, RNA, Ribosomal genetics, Sequence Analysis, DNA, Temperature, Bacteria classification, Bacteria isolation & purification, Betaproteobacteria classification, Water Microbiology
- Abstract
A new species of purple nonsulfur bacteria isolated from an Antarctic microbial mat is described. The organism, designated strain ANT.BR, was mildly psychrophilic, growing optimally at 15-18 degrees C with a growth temperature range of 0-25 degrees C. Cells of strain ANT.BR were highly motile curved rods and spirals, contained bacteriochlorophyll a, and showed a multicomponent in vivo absorption spectrum. A specific phylogenetic relationship was observed between strain ANT.BR and the purple bacterium Rhodoferax fermentans FR2T, and the two organisms shared several physiological and other phenotypic properties, with the notable exception of growth temperature optimum. Tests of genomic DNA hybridization, however, showed Rfx. fermentans FR2T and strain ANT.BR to be genetically distinct bacteria. Because of its unique set of properties, especially its requirement for low growth temperatures, we propose to recognize strain ANT.BR as a new species of the genus Rhodoferax, Rhodoferax antarcticus, named for its known habitat, the Antarctic.
- Published
- 2000
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