A novel aerobic, Gram-positive, non-motile halotolerant actinobacterium, designated strain YIM 96448T, was isolated from a saline soil sample collected from the south bank of Aiding Lake in Xinjiang Province, northwest China. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain YIM 96448T is closely related to Phytoactinopolyspora endophytica EGI 60009T (98.0%) and Phytoactinopolyspora alkaliphila EGI 80629T (97.0%). Optimum growth of the strain was observed at 28-37 °C, pH 7-9 and in the presence of 5-8% NaCl (w/v). The respiratory quinone of strain YIM 96448T was determined to be MK-9(H4). The major fatty acids (>10%) were identified as anteiso-C15:0, iso-C16:0, anteiso-C17:0 and summed feature 4 (iso-C17:1 I and/or anteiso-C17:1B). The polar lipid profile was found to consist of diphosphatidylglycerol, an unidentified aminophospholipid, phosphatidylglycerol, two phosphatidylinositol mannosides, three unidentified phosphoglycolipids and four unidentified phospholipids. The DNA G+C content was determined to be 68.7 mol%. On the basis of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analysis, strain YIM 96448T should be classified as a novel species in the genus Phytoactinopolyspora, for which the name Phytoactinopolyspora halotolerans sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is YIM 96448T (=CCTCC AB 2017055T = KCTC 39924T).
Keywords: 16S rRNA gene; Phytoactinopolyspora halotolerans sp. nov; Polyphasic taxonomy.