Blastococcus litoris sp nov., isolated from sea-tidal flat sediment

A novel Gram-strain-positive, non-spore-forming bacterial strain, designated GP-S2-8(T), was isolated from a sea-tidal flat sediment sample from Gopado, Republic of Korea. Cells were aerobic, catalase-negative, oxidase-positive, non-motile and cocci, occurring singly, in pairs or in tetrads, and often tending to form aggregates. The strain grew at 4-45 degrees C (optimum, 28-37 degrees C), at pH 4.0-11.0 (pH 7.0-9.0) and in the presence of 0-11% (w/v) NaCl (0-3 %). Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences represented that the isolate belongs to the genus Blastococcus. The diagnostic diamino acid in the cell-wall peptidoglycan was meso-diaminopimelic acid. Whole-cell sugar analysis of strain GP-S2-8(T) revealed rhamnose, glucose and mannose as characteristic sugars. The predominant respiratory quinone was MK-9(H-4) and the major fatty acids were iso-C-16:0, iso-C-16:1 H, summed feature 3 (C-16:1 omega 7c and/or C-16:1 omega 6c), iso-C-15:0 and iso-C-14:0. The polar lipid profile included diphosphadidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol, one unidentified glycophospholipid, two unidentified phospholipids and five unidentified lipids. The DNA G+C content was 74.2 mol%. DNA-DNA relatedness values between strain GP-S2-8(T) and type strains of the genus Blastococcus ranged from 14.6 to 48.6 %. On the basis of the phenotypic differences and DNA-DNA relatedness data, the isolate represents a new species of the genus Blastococcus, for which the name Blastococcus litoris sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is GP-S2-8(T) (=KCCM 43275(T)=JCM 32354(T)=DSM 106127(T)=KCTC 49078(T)).