sp. nov., an alkaliphilic bacterium which degrades isosaccharinic acid.

Strain NB2006 was isolated from an isosaccharinate-degrading, nitrate-reducing enrichment culture in minimal freshwater medium at pH 10. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that this strain was most closely related to species of the newly established genus . This was supported by phenotypic and metabolic characterisation that showed that NB2006 was rod-shaped, Gram-stain-positive, motile and formed endospores. It was an aerotolerant anaerobe and an obligate alkaliphile that grew at pH 8.5-11, could tolerate up to 6 % (w/v) NaCl, and grew at a temperature between 10 and 40 °C. In addition, it could utilise a number of organic substrates, and was able to reduce nitrate and arsenate. The predominant cellular fatty acids were C, Cω11, anteiso-C, iso-C, Cω7/iso-C 2-OH and C. The cell wall peptidoglycan contained -diaminopimelic acid and the DNA G+C content was 37.7 mol%. DNA-DNA hybridization with the four known species of the genus showed 21.8, 21.9, 22.4, and 21.5 % relatedness to DSM 15340, DSM 22531, DSM 18345, and DSM 16346, respectively. NB2006 differed from strains of other species of the genus in its ability to metabolise isosaccharinate, an alkaline hydrolysis product of cellulose. On the basis of the consensus of phylogenetic and phenotypic analyses, this strain represents a novel species of the genus , for which the name sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is NB2006 (=DSM 100644=LMG 30032).