Desulfatitalea alkaliphila sp. nov., an alkalipilic sulfate- and arsenate- reducing bacterium isolated from a terrestrial mud volcano.

A novel alkaliphilic sulfate-reducing bacterium, strain M08but, was isolated from a salsa lake of terrestrial mud volcano (Taman Peninsula, Russia). Cells were rod-shaped, motile and Gram-stain-negative. The temperature range for growth was 15-42 °C (optimum at 30 °C). The pH range for growth was 7.0-11.0, with an optimum at pH 8.5-9.0 Strain M08but used sulfate, thiosulfate, sulfite, dimethyl sulfoxide and arsenate as electron acceptors. Acetate, formate, butyrate, fumarate, succinate, glycerol and pyruvate were utilized as electron donors with sulfate. Fermentative growth was observed with fumarate, pyruvate, crotonate. Strain M08but grew chemolithoautotrophically with H and CO. The G + C content of the genomic DNA was 60.1%. The fatty acid profile of strain M08but was characterized by the presence of anteiso-C as the major component (68.8%). The closest phylogenetic relative of strain M08but was Desulfatitalea tepidiphila (the order Desulfobacterales) with 96.3% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity. Based on the phenotypic, genotypic and phylogenetic characteristics of the isolate, strain M08but is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Desulfatitalea, with proposed name Desulfatitalea alkaliphila sp. nov. The type strain of Desulfatitalea alkaliphila is M08but (= KCTC 25382 = VKM B-3560 = DSM 113909 = JCM 39202 = UQM 41473).