Paenibacillus pectinilyticus sp. nov., isolated from the gut of Diestrammena apicalis.

During a search for exo-enzyme-producing bacteria in the gut of an insect, Diestrammena apicalis, a novel bacterium capable of degrading pectin was isolated. The isolate, designated strain RCB-08(T), comprised Gram-positive, endospore-forming, motile rods capable of growth at 15-30 degrees C and pH 6.0-8.7. The DNA G+C content of the isolate was 51.5 mol% and the predominant cellular fatty acid was anteiso-C(15 : 0) (74.1 %). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain RCB-08(T) was affiliated with a cluster within the Paenibacillaceae, and was related most closely to Paenibacillus chondroitinus NBRC 15376(T), with a sequence similarity of 96.7 %. The DNA-DNA relatedness value for strain RCB-08(T) with P. chondroitinus NBRC 15376(T) was 15.0 %. Strain RCB-08(T) hydrolysed pectin, but not cellulose, casein, starch or xylan. Strain RCB-08(T) could be clearly distinguished from other Paenibacillus species on the basis of characteristics observed using a polyphasic approach. Therefore strain RCB-08(T) is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Paenibacillus, for which the name Paenibacillus pectinilyticus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is RCB-08(T) (=KCTC 13222(T)=CECT 7358(T)).