Coral and Coral-Associated Microorganisms: A Prolific Source of Potential Bioactive Natural Products

Flagellimonas algarum sp. nov., isolated from dense mats of filamentous algae

A novel Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic, rod-shaped, light-yellow-pigmented, and chemo-organoheterotrophic bacterium, designated DF-77T, was isolated from dense mats of filamentous algae collected in March 2004 at Okinawa in Japan. The microorganism grew at 0-2.0% NaCl concentrations (w/v), pH 6.0-9.0, and 20-30 °C. The 16S rRNA gene sequence-based phylogenetic tree demonstrated that the strain DF-77T is a novel member of the family Flavobacteriaceae and was greatly related to Flagellimonas nanhaiensis SM1704T with sequence similarity of 95.5%. The main fatty acids were iso-C15:1 G, iso-C15:0, and iso-C17:0 3-OH, and the only isoprenoid quinone was menaquinone-6. The dominant polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, two unidentified aminolipids, an unidentified phosphoaminolipid, and four unidentified lipids. The genome size of strain DF-77T was 3.60 Mbp with a DNA G + C content of 47.5%. The average nucleotide identity (ANI) value between the genomes of strain DF-77T and its closely related species was 69.8-70.7%. The digital DNA - DNA hybridization (dDDH) value of strain DF-77T with the strain of F. nanhaiensis SM1704T was 16.8%. The genome of the strain DF-77T revealed that it encoded several genes involved in bio-macromolecule degradation, indicating a high potential for producing industrially useful enzymes. Consequently, the strain is described as a new species in the genus Flagellimonas, for which the name Flagellimonas algarum sp. nov., is proposed with the type strain DF-77T (= KCTC 72791T = NBRC 114251T).

Polyphasic Investigation of Aliiroseovarius salicola sp. nov., Isolated from Seawater

A novel Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic, short-rod-shaped, and chemo-organoheterotrophic bacterium, designated KMU-50T, was isolated from seawater gathered from Dadaepo Harbor in South Korea. The microorganism grew at 0-4.0% NaCl concentrations (w/v), pH 6.0-8.0, and 4-37 °C. The 16S rRNA gene sequence-based phylogenetic tree demonstrated that the strain KMU-50T is a novel member of the family Roseobacteraceae and were greatly related to Aliiroseovarius crassostreae CV919-312T with sequence similarity of 98.3%. C18:1 ω7c was the main fatty acid and ubiquinone-10 was the only isoprenoid quinone. The dominant polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, two unidentified phospholipids, an unidentified aminolipid, and an unidentified lipid. The genome size of strain KMU-50T was 3.60 Mbp with a DNA G+C content of 56.0%. The average nucleotide identity (ANI) and average amino acid identity (AAI) values between the genomes of strain KMU-50T and its closely related species were 76.0-81.2% and 62.2-81.5%, respectively. The digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) value of strain KMU-50T with the strain of A. crassostreae CV919-312T was 25.1%. The genome of the strain KMU-50T showed that it encoded many genes involved in the breakdown of bio-macromolecules, thus showing a high potential as a producer of industrially useful enzymes. Consequently, the strain is described as a new species in the genus Aliiroseovarius, for which the name Aliiroseovarius salicola sp. nov., is proposed with the type strain KMU-50T (= KCCM 90480T = NBRC 115482T).

Thetidibacter halocola gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel member within the family Roseobacteraceae isolated from seawater

A Gram-staining-negative, strictly aerobic, dark beige-colored, rod-shaped, chemoorganoheterotrophic, and catalase- and oxidase-positive bacterium, designated as KMU-90^T, was isolated from coastal seawater in the Republic of Korea, and subjected to a polyphasic study. The novel isolate was able to grow at 0-6.0% NaCl concentrations (w/v), pH 6.5-9.5, and 4-45 °C. The 16S rRNA gene sequences-based phylogeny revealed that the novel marine isolate belongs to the family Roseobacteraceae of class Alphaproteobacteria and that it shared the greatest sequence similarity (97.3%) with Aestuariicoccus marinus NAP41^T. The novel strain could be distinguished phenotypically from related representatives of the family Roseobacteraceae. The major (> 10%) fatty acids of strain KMU-90^T were C_18:1 ω7c and C_18:1 ω7c 11-methyl and the only respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-10 (Q-10). Strain KMU-90^T contained phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol, two unidentified aminolipids, an unidentified phospholipid, and three unidentified glycolipids as polar lipids. The assembled draft genome size of strain KMU-90^T was 4.84 Mbp with a DNA G + C content of 66.5%. The average nucleotide identity, digital DNA-DNA hybridization, and average amino acid identity values between the genomes of strain KMU-90^T and its closely related representatives were 77.0-79.0%, 14.6-20.0%, and 60.0-69.9%, respectively. From the polyphasic taxonomic results obtained, the strain is considered to represent a novel genus and a new species of the family Roseobacteraceae, for which the name Thetidibacter halocola gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type species is T. halocola, with the type strain KMU-90^T (= KCCM 90287^T = NBRC 113375^T).