An obligately anaerobic, nitrate-reducing bacterial strain (MJB2T) was isolated from sediments of saline in Xinjiang province of China. Cells were Gram-stain-positive rods and motile by means of flagella and formed endospores. The novel strain MJB2T was able to grow at 15-37 °C (optimum 28-30 °C), pH 5.8-9.4 (optimum 7.8) and with 1.0-7.0% NaCl (optimum 5.0-6.0%, w/v). Sulfate, sulfite, thiosulfate, elemental sulfur, nitrite and Fe(III) were not used as terminal electron acceptors. Oxidase and catalase reactions were positive. H2S was producted from L-cystine. Complex substrates such as beef extract, peptone and yeast extract can be used as sole energy sources. The DNA G+C content was 29.4 mol%. The major cellular fatty acids (> 10%) were C14:0, C16:1 cis 7 and C16:1 cis 9. The main polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, three unidentified amino lipids, one unidentified amino glycolipid, two unidentified glycolipid, one unidentified aminophospholipid and two unidentified lipids. No respiratory quinones were detected. According to phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, strain MJB2T was affiliated to the family Clostridiaceae (order Clostridiales) with highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 95.3% to Crassaminicella profunda Ra1766HT. Strain MJB2T exhibited 74.9% ANI values to C. profunda Ra1766HT. In silico DNA-DNA relatedness value between strain MJB2T and C. profunda Ra1766HT was 19.5%. The distinct biochemical, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic differences from the previously described taxa supported that strain MJB2T represents a novel species of a new genus, for which the name Anaerophilus nitritogenes gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is MJB2T (=KCTC 15800T=MCCC 1K03631T).
Keywords: 16S rRNA gene; Anaerophilus; Polyphasic taxonomy; Taxonomy.