Methanoculleus hydrogenitrophicus sp. nov., a methanogenic archaeon isolated from wetland soil

An obligately anaerobic, methanogenic archaeon, strain HC(T), was isolated from soil of the Zoige wetland on the Tibetan plateau, China. The strain was isolated through construction of an artificial butyrate-degrading consortium in co-culture with a syntrophic bacterium, 'Syntrophomonas erecta subsp. sporosyntropha' JCM 13344. Cells of strain HC(T) were irregular coccoids, 0.8-2 mum in diameter, that occurred singly and utilized only H(2)/CO(2) for growth and methane production. Growth occurred at 18-45 degrees C (optimum around 37 degrees C). The pH for growth was 5.0-8.5 (optimal growth around pH 6.6). The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 60.2 mol%. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that strain HC(T) was affiliated to the genus Methanoculleus, with sequence similarities of 94.8-97.2 % to existing members. However, strain HC(T) was distinguished from described Methanoculleus species by not using formate for growth or methane formation and not requiring acetate as a growth factor. On the basis of phylogenetic analysis and phenotypic characteristics, the novel species Methanoculleus hydrogenitrophicus sp. nov. is proposed, with strain HC(T) (=CGMCC 1.5146(T) =JCM 16311(T)) as the type strain.