A novel Gram-stain-positive, aerobic, non-motile and rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain NC76-1T, was isolated from soil from a field that had undergone seven years continuous maize cropping from Liuba town located in Zhangye city, Gansu province, PR China. Colonies of strain NC76-1T were white, opaque and circular with a convex shape. The isolate was found to be able to grow at 10-40 °C (optimum 30 °C), pH 6.0 to 12.0 (optimum 7.0-8.0) and with 0-5.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum 0%). On the basis of the results of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, the strain fell within the clade of the genus Leucobacter, showing the highest sequence similarities with Leucobacter iarius 40T (97.4%), Leucobacter aridicollis CIP 108388T (97.0%), Leucobacter chromiireducens subsp. solipictus TAN 31504T (96.7%) and Leucobacter denitrificans M1T8B10T (96.7%). The average nucleotide identity (ANI) and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) values between NC76-1T and its closest relatives, L. iarius 40T, L. aridicollis CIP 108388T, L. chromiireducens subsp. solipictus TAN 31504T and L. denitrificans M1T8B10T were ≤73.5 % and 20.3%, respectively. The genomic DNA G+C content of NC76-1T was 61.5 mol%. It presented MK-11 as the predominant menaquinone. The major cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0 (49.2 %) and iso-C16 : 0 (35.7%). The major polar lipids were found to be diphosphatidyglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, aminoglycolipid, five glycolipid and one unidentified lipids. The cell wall amino acids were 2,4-diaminobutyric acid, alanine, glutamic acid, glycine and threonine. On the basis of the phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics, strain NC76-1T is concluded to represent a novel species within the genus Leucobacter, for which the name Leucobacter chinensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is NC76-1T (GDMCC 1.2286T= JCM 34651T).
Keywords: 16S rRNA gene; Leucobacter chinensis sp. nov.; continuous cropping; polyphasic taxonomy.