Aurantimonas aggregata sp. nov., isolated from deep-sea sediment.

A novel bacterium, designated R14M6, was isolated from deep-sea sediment collected from the Ross Sea, Antarctica. Cells are Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, pale yellow, short-rod-shaped, polar-flagellated and aggregate-forming. Growth occurs at 4-36 °C, pH 6.0-8.3, and in 1-15 % (w/v) NaCl. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain R14M6 clustered together with Aurantimonas endophytica EGI6500337 and fell within the genus Aurantimonas. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain R14M6 shared similarity with A. endophytica EGI6500337 (99.15 %), A. manganoxydans DSM 21871 (97.73 %), A. coralicida DSM 14790 (97.58 %) and 'A. litoralis' KCTC 12094 (97.51 %). The DNA-DNA relatedness values between strain R14M6 and A. endophytica EGI6500337, A. coralicida DSM 14790, A. manganoxydans DSM 21871 and 'A. litoralis' KCTC 12094 were 36.9±4.5, 27.6±2.8, 29.6±1.2 and 25.2±2.4 % respectively. The major fatty acid of strain R14M6 was C18 : 1ω7c. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylcholine, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and an unidentified aminolipid. Strain R14M6 contained Q-10 as the dominant isoprenoid quinone. The DNA G+C content of strain R14M6 was 67.4 mol%. Based on the phylogenetic, physiological and chemotaxonomic analyses, strain R14M6 represents a novel species of the genus Aurantimonas, for which the name Aurantimonas aggregata sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is R14M6 (=GDMCC 1.1202=KCTC 52919).