A Gram-stain positive, non-motile, non-sporogenous, aerobic, rod-shaped and halophilic bacterium, designated LAM0015(T), was isolated from a saline sediment sample collected from Yantai City in China. The isolate was found to be able to grow at NaCl concentrations of 5-25 % (w/v) (optimum: 7-12 %), 15-45 °C (optimum: 35 °C) and pH 5.0-9.0 (optimum: 7.0). The major fatty acids were determined to be anteiso-C15:0 and anteiso-C17:0. The predominant respiratory quinone was identified as MK-7. The cell wall peptidoglycan was determined to contain meso-diaminopimelic acid. The polar lipids were found to be diphosphatidyglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, five phospholipids and one glycolipid. The DNA G+C content was 43.1 mol% as determined by the T m method. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that the isolate belongs within the genus Lentibacillus and is closely related to Lentibacillus persicus DSM 22530(T), Lentibacillus salicampi JCM 11462(T) and Lentibacillus jeotgali JCM 15795(T) with 97.3, 96.7 and 96.4 % sequence similarity, respectively. The DNA-DNA hybridization value between LAM0015(T) and L. persicus DSM 22530(T) was 51.2 ± 1.4 %. Based on its phenotypic, phylogenetic and chemotaxonomic characteristics, strain LAM0015(T) is concluded to represent a novel species of the genus Lentibacillus, for which the name Lentibacillus amyloliquefaciens sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is LAM0015(T) (=ACCC 06401(T) = JCM 19838(T)).
Keywords: 16S rRNA gene; Halophilic; Lentibacillus amyloliquefaciens sp. nov; Polyphasic taxonomy; Saline sediment.