Pseudonocardia tetrahydrofuranoxydans sp nov.

A Gram-positive, rod-shaped, non-endospore-forming but mycelium-forming actinobacterium (strain K1(T)) was isolated from an enrichment culture containing tetrahydrofuran (THF) as the sole source of carbon. On the basis of its G + C content (71(.)3 mol%) and of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity studies, strain K1(T) was shown to belong to the family Pseudonocardiaceae, most closely related to Pseudonocardia hydrocarbon oxydans (99(.)3%), P. benzenivorans (98(.)8%) and P. sulfidoxydans (98(.)3%). The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to other Pseudonocardia species was less than 97%. Chemotaxonomic data [major menaquinone MK-8(H-4); major fatty acids C-16:0 iso, C-15:0 iso and C-17:1 omega 6c] supported the affiliation of strain K1(T) to the genus Pseudonocardia. The results of DNA-DNA hybridizations and physiological and biochemical tests allowed genotypic and phenotypic differentiation of strain K1(T) from the three species P. benzenivorans, P. sulfidoxydans and P. hydrocarbon oxydans, although all four organisms utilized THF. Strain K1(T) represents a novel species, for which the name Pseudonocardia tetrahydrofuranoxydans sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain K1(T) (= DSM 44239(T) = CIP 109050(T)).