Methylobacterium soli sp. nov. a methanol-utilizing bacterium isolated from the forest soil

Abstract

A Gram-negative, pink-pigmented, non-spore-forming rod shaped, methanol-utilizing bacterium, strain YIM 48816T, was isolated from forest soil collected from Sichuan province, China. Strain YIM 48816T can grow at 4-37°C, pH 5.0-7.0 and 0% NaCl (w/v). Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity studies, it belonged to the genus Methylobacterium, and formed a phyletic line. The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities were 96.2% to Methylobacterium mesophilicum DSM 1708T and 96.0% to Methylobacterium brachiatum DSM 19569T, and the phylogenetic similarities to all other Methylobacterium species with validly published names were less than 96.0%. The major menaquinones detected were Q-10 (97.14%) and Q-9 (2.86%). The major fatty acids were C18:1 ω7c (80.84%). The DNA G + C content was 66.2 mol%. It is apparent from the genotypic and phenotypic data that strain YIM 48816T belongs to a novel species of the genus Methylobacterium, for which the name Methylobacterium soli sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is YIM 48816T (CCTCC AA 208027T = KCTC 22810T). © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.