Arthrobacter gangotriensis sp. nov. and Arthrobacter kerguelensis sp. nov. from Antarctica

Abstract

Two coryneform bacteria were isolated from a penguin rookery soil sample collected in Antarctica, near the Indian station Dakshin Gangotri (strain Lz1y^T), and from sea water from Kerguelen island, Antarctica (strain KGN15^T). They have morphological and chemotaxonomic properties (peptidoglycan A4α type; major menaquinones MK-8, MK-9 and MK-10; predominant fatty acids anteiso-C_15:0 and anteiso-C_17:0) that are characteristic of members of the genus Arthrobacter. The isolates shared 97·8% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to each other and were most closely related to Arthrobacter sulfureus (about 98·5% sequence similarity). DNA-DNA hybridization experiments revealed 50% relatedness between the isolates, while the levels of DNA-DNA relatedness between strains Lz1y^T and KGN15^T and their phylogenetic relative, A. sulfureus, were respectively 54 and 12%. Based on the above data and distinct phenotypic differences between the isolates and A. sulfureus, two novel species are proposed, Arthrobacter gangotriensis sp. nov. (type strain Lz1y^T=DSM 15796T=JCM 12166^T) and Arthrobacter kerguelensis sp. nov. (type strain KGN15^T=DSM 15797T=JCM 12165^T).