Open AccessMicrolunatus phosphovorus gen. nov., sp. nov., a New Gram-Positive Polyphosphate-Accumulating Bacterium Isolated from Activated Sludge
Author(s) -
Kazunori Nakamura,
Akira Hiraishi,
Yukihiko Yoshimi,
Mamoru Kawaharasaki,
Kazufumi Masuda,
Yoichi Kamagata
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
international journal of systematic bacteriology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1070-6259
pISSN - 0020-7713
DOI - 10.1099/00207713-45-1-17
Subject(s) - peptidoglycan , biology , polyphosphate , bacteria , 16s ribosomal rna , microbiology and biotechnology , phylogenetic tree , diamino acid , coccus (insect) , cytosine , strain (injury) , biochemistry , gene , botany , phosphate , genetics , anatomy , gene sequence
Polyphosphate-accumulating bacteria that were previously isolated from activated sludge and exhibited high phosphate removal activity were studied taxonomically and phylogenetically. These organisms were gram-positive, coccus-shaped, aerobic chemoorganotrophs that had a strictly respiratory type of metabolism in which oxygen was a terminal electron acceptor. They accumulated large amounts of polyphosphate under aerobic conditions. The major quinone was menaquinone MK-9(H4). The cell wall peptidoglycan contained LL-diaminopimelic acid. The guanine-plus-cytosine content of the DNA was 67.9 mol%. Our isolates were similar phenotypically and chemotaxonomically to Luteococcus japonicus, which was proposed recently as a new genus and species. However, our isolates differed from L. japonicus in cellular fatty acid composition and some other traits. A phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA sequences showed that our isolate differ from the genus Luteococcus and other genera belonging to the high-G+C-content gram-positive group. Accordingly, we concluded that our strain NM-1T (T = type strain) should be assigned to a new genus and species, for which we propose the name Microlunatus phosphovorus.