Plantibacter auratus sp. nov., in the family Microbacteriaceae

Strain NCIMB 9991(T) is a Gram-positive, short rod-shaped, yellow-pigmented bacterium, with a high DNA G+C content, and was originally deposited in 1967 as Arthrobacter sp. The bacterium is aerobic, non-motile, catalase-positive and oxidase-negative. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequencing studies demonstrated that this strain was highly related genealogically to Plantibacter flavus DSM 14012(T). Strain IAM 14817(T) (=NCIMB 9991(T)) has the following characteristics: the predominant menaquinones are MK-9 and MK-10, the DNA G+C content is 68 mol%, the diamino acid in the cell wall is 2,4-l-diaminobutyric acid and the muramic acid in the peptidoglycan is of an acetyl type. The major fatty acid is 12-methyl tetradecanoic acid (anteiso-C(15 : 0)), followed by 14-methyl hexadecanoic acid (anteiso-C(17 : 0)), 14-methyl pentadecanoic acid (iso-C(16 : 0)) and hexadecanoic acid (C(16 : 0)). On the basis of morphological, physiological and chemotaxonomic characteristics, together with DNA-DNA hybridization and 16S rRNA gene sequence comparison, strain IAM 14817(T) represents a novel species within the genus Plantibacter, for which the name Plantibacter auratus sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain IAM 14817(T) (=NCIMB 9991(T)=NBRC 15702(T)).