Streptomyces hypolithicus sp. nov., isolated from an Antarctic hypolith community.

As part of an enzyme-screening programme, an actinobacterium, strain HSM#10T, was isolated from a sample collected from the base of a translucent quartz rock in Miers Valley, eastern Antarctica. The isolate produced branching vegetative mycelium that was characteristic of filamentous actinobacteria. The chemotaxonomic characteristics of the strain suggested that HSM#10T should be classified as a member of the genus Streptomyces. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the strain was closely related to members of the genus Streptomyces, which supports the classification of this strain within the family Streptomycetaceae. Phenotypic and phylogenetic results allowed strain HSM#10T to be differentiated from known streptomycetes. DNA-DNA hybridization data also showed that strain HSM#10T could be differentiated from its nearest phylogenetic neighbours Streptomyces chryseus DSM 40420T (53.55+/-3.15% DNA relatedness), Streptomyces helvaticus DSM 40431T (38.75+/-2.75%), Streptomyces flavidovirens DSM 40150T (30.7+/-2.90%) and Streptomyces albidochromogenes DSM 41800T (33.9+/-0.10%). Therefore, the name Streptomyces hypolithicus sp. nov. is proposed, with HSM#10T (=DSM 41950T=NRRL B-24669T) as the type strain.