Natronorubrum sediminis sp. nov., an archaeon isolated from a saline lake.

Two novel haloalkaliphilic archaea, strains CG-6T and CG-4, were isolated from sediment of the hypersaline Lake Chagannor in Inner Mongolia, China. Cells of the two strains were pleomorphic, non-motile and strictly aerobic. They required at least 2.5 M NaCl for growth, with optimum growth at 3.4 M NaCl. They grew at pH 8.0-11.0, with optimum growth at pH 9.0. Hypotonic treatment with less than 1.5 M NaCl caused cell lysis. The two strains had similar polar lipid compositions, possessing C20C20 and C20C25 derivatives of phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol phosphate methyl ester. No glycolipids were detected. Comparison of 16S rRNA gene sequences and morphological features placed them in the genus Natronorubrum. 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities to strains of recognized species of the genus Natronorubrum were 96.2-93.8%. Detailed phenotypic characterization and DNA-DNA hybridization studies revealed that the two strains belong to a novel species in the genus Natronorubrum, for which the name Natronorubrum sediminis sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is CG-6T (=CECT 7487T =CGMCC 1.8981T =JCM 15982T).