sp. nov., a blue pigment-producing species isolated from Mount Everest.

Bacteria in the genus have been found in extreme environments, e.g. glaciers, brine and mural paintings. Here, we report the discovery of a novel pink-coloured bacterium, strain QL17, capable of producing an extracellular water-soluble blue pigment. The bacterium was isolated from the soil of the East Rongbuk Glacier of Mt. Everest, China. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that strain QL17 was most closely related to the species KR32 . However, compared to KR32 and the next closest relatives, the new species demonstrates considerable phylogenetic distance at the whole-genome level, with an average nucleotide identity of <85 % and inferred DNA-DNA hybridization of <30 %. Polyphasic taxonomy results support our conclusion that strain QL17 represents a novel species of the genus . Strain QL17 had the highest tolerance to hydrogen peroxide at 400 mM. Whole-genome sequencing of strain QL17 revealed the presence of numerous cold-adaptation, antioxidation and UV resistance-associated genes, which are related to adaptation to the extreme environment of Mt. Everest. Results of this study characterized a novel psychrotolerant species, for which the name sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is QL17 (GDMCC 1.2948=JCM 35246).