Abstract

A novel Gram-positive, oval-shaped, non-motile bacterium designated strain 16F1LT was isolated from sediment collected from the Han River in Seoul, Republic of Korea. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence (1,448 bp), this strain was identified as a member of the genus Deinococcus that belongs to the class Deinococci. Similarities in the 16S rRNA gene sequence were shown with Deinococcus daejeonensis MJ27T (99.0%), D. grandis DSM 3963T (98.1%), D. radiotolerans C1T (97.5%), and D. caeni Ho-08T (97.2%). Strain 16F1LT was classified as a different genomic species from closely related Deinococcus members, based on less than 70% DNA-DNA relatedness. Genomic DNA G+C content of strain 16F1LT was 67.2 mol%. Strain 16F1LT was found to grow at temperatures of 10–37°C (optimum 25°C) and pH 7–8 (optimum pH 7) on R2A medium, and was catalase-positive and oxidase-negative. Strain 16F1LT showed resistance to gamma radiation (D10 > 2 kGy). In addition, this strain had the following chemotaxonomic characteristics: the major fatty acids were C15:1 ω6c and C16:1 ω7c; the polar lipid profile contained phosphoglycolipids, unknown aminophospholipids, an unknown aminoglycolipid, unknown aminolipids, an unknown glycolipid, an unknown phospholipid, and an unknown polar lipid; the major quinone was MK-8. Phylogenetic, genotypic, phenotypic, and chemotaxonomic characteristics indicated that strain 16F1LT represents a novel species within the genus Deinococcus, for which the name Deinococcus sedimenti sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 16F1LT (=KCTC 33796T =JCM 31405T).

• Keywords: Deinococcus; polyphasic taxonomy; Gamma radiation-resistance