Kineococcus halophytocola sp. nov., Isolated from Leaves of Halophyte Sesuvium portulacastrum L.

An aerobic, Gram-stain-positive, motile, coccus-shaped actinomycete, designated strain LSe6-4, was isolated from leaves of sea purslane (Sesuvium portulacastrum L.) in Thailand and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic studies. Growth of the strain occurred at temperatures between 15 and 38 °C, and with NaCl concentrations 0-13%. The 16S rRNA gene sequences analysis indicated that the strain was most closely related to Kineococcus endophyticus KLBMP 1274 (99.2%), and Kineococcus mangrovi L2-1-L1 (99.0%). The genome of strain LSe6-4 was estimated to be 4.22 Mbp in size, with DNA G+C content of 74.57%. The average nucleotide identity (ANI) and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) relatedness values between strain LSe6-4 and the closely related species were less than the threshold values for identifying a novel species. Strain LSe6-4 showed morphological and chemotaxonomic characteristics of the genus Kineocoocus. The whole-cell hydrolysates contained meso-diaminopimelic acid as the diagnostic diamino acid, with arabinose, galactose, and ribose as whole-cell sugars. The predominant menaquinone was MK-9(H). The polar lipid profile composed of phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, an unidentified phospholipid, three unidentified aminophospholipids, and an unidentified aminolipid. Major cellular fatty acids (> 10% of total fatty acids) were anteiso-C and iso-C. It is evident from the combination of genotypic and phenotypic characteristics that strain LSe6-4 represents a novel species of the genus Kineococcus, for which the name Kineococcus halophytocola sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is strain LSe6-4 (= TBRC 17798 = NBRC 116401).