Planococcus halocryophilus sp. nov., an extreme sub-zero species from high Arctic permafrost

A novel aerobic, Gram-positive, motile, coccoid bacterial strain, designated Or1(T), was isolated from permafrost active-layer soil collected from the Canadian high Arctic. Strain Or1(T) was capable of growth over a broad temperature range, including sub-zero growth (below -10 to 37 °C), and at high salinity (0-19% NaCl), growing optimally at 25 °C, at pH 7.0-8.0 and in the presence of 2% NaCl. Its taxonomic and phylogenetic position was determined by using a polyphasic approach, which indicated that strain Or1(T) was a member of the genus Planococcus. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain Or1(T) belonged to the genus Planococcus, differing by 0.4-3.6% from the type strains of all recognized Planococcus species, and was related most closely to Planococcus antarcticus CMS 26or(T) (98.8% similarity) and Planococcus donghaensis JH1(T) (99.6%). However, DNA-DNA hybridization experiments showed that strain Or1(T) had low genomic relatedness to Planococcus antarcticus CMS 26or(T) (18%) and Planococcus donghaensis JH1(T) (46%). The major menaquinones of strain Or1(T) were MK-7 (55%), MK-8 (36%) and MK-6 (9%) and the major fatty acids were anteiso-C(15:0), C(16:1)ω7c alcohol and anteiso-C(17:0). The DNA G+C content of strain Or1(T) was 40.5 mol%. Differential phenotypic, phylogenetic and genomic data suggest that strain Or1(T) represents a novel species of the genus Planococcus, for which the name Planococcus halocryophilus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Or1(T) ( = DSM 24743(T) = JCM 17719(T)).