A novel Gram-positive, aerobic, motile, endospore-forming, rod-shaped bacterium, designated 373(T) was isolated from surface-sterilised root tissue of a maize planted in Fangshan District of Beijing, Peopole's Republic of China. A polyphasic taxonomic study was performed on the new isolate. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity studies, this isolate belongs to the genus Paenibacillus. The highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity was found between strain 373(T) and Paenibacillus hunanensis (98.1%), meanwhile the 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between strain 373(T) and the type strains of other recognised members of the genus Paenibacillus were all below 95.6%. However, the DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain 373(T) and the type strain P. hunanensis DSM 22170(T) was 30.2%. The DNA G+C content of strain 373(T) was determined to be 46.0 mol%. The predominant respiratory quinone was identified as menaquinone-7 and the polar lipid profile was found to be composed of the major lipids diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine. The major fatty acids were found to consist of anteiso-C15: 0 (59.6%), anteiso-C17: 0 (12.8%) and C16: 0 (6.7%). The results of physiological and biochemical tests and minor differences in the fatty acid profiles allowed a clear phenotypic differentiation of strain 373(T) from the closely related species in this genus Paenibacillus. Strain 373(T) is concluded to represent a novel species within the genus Paenibacillus, for which the name Paenibacillus wenxiniae sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain 373(T) (= CGMCC 1.15007 (T) = DSM100576 ).
Keywords: Endophytic bacterium; Maize root; Paenibacillus wenxiniae sp. nov.; nifH gene.