Metabacillus rhizolycopersici sp. nov., Isolated from the Rhizosphere Soil of Tomato Plants

Abstract

A Gram-positive, endospore-forming, rod-shaped and aerobic bacterium, with swarming and swimming motility, designated strain DBTR6^T, was isolated from the rhizosphere soil of tomato plants. Strain DBTR6^T grew at 20-45 ℃ (optimum 30-37℃), pH 4-9 (optimum 7-8) and at salinities from 0 to 5% (optimum 1%). Phylogenetic analysis using 16S rRNA gene sequences showed this strain belonged to the genus Metabacillus and was most closely related to Metabacillus litoralis DSM 16303 ^T (98.3%) and Metabacillus sediminilitoris MCCC 1K03777^T (98.3%). The DNA G + C content of the genomic DNA was 36.4%. The digital DNA-DNA hybridization value between strain DBTR6^T and reference strains M. sediminilitoris MCCC 1K03777^T and "M. bambusae" BG109^T were less than 70% (26.7% and 26.0%), and the average nucleotide identity score were less than 95% (78.55% and 78.38%), and the Amino Acid Identity values calculated were less than 96% (79.99% and 80.18%), respectively, suggesting that strain DBTR6^T represented a novel species in the genus Metabacillus. Chemotaxonomic analysis showed that strain DBTR6^T contained MK-7 as the major respiratory quinone. The predominant fatty acids (> 10.0%) were iso-C_15:0, anteiso-C_15:0 and C_16:0. The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylglycerol (PG), glycolipids (GL) and three unidentified lipids (L). Based on the differential physiological properties, biochemical characteristics and genotypic data, strain DBTR6^T represents a novel species of the genus Metabacillus, for which the name Metabacillus rhizolycopersici sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is DBTR6^T (= ACCC 61900 ^T = JCM 35080 ^T).