| Summary: | During a prokaryotic diversity study in Añana Salt Valley, a new <i>Rhodobacteraceae</i> member, designated ASV31<sup>T</sup>, was isolated from Santa Engracia spring water. It was extremely halotolerant, tolerating up to 23% NaCl, and facultatively alkaliphilic, growing at pH 6.5–9.5 (optimum at 7.0–9.5). The isolate was a Gram-negative, rod-shaped, aerobic and non-motile bacterium that formed beige-to-pink colonies on marine agar. According to a 16S rRNA gene-based phylogenetic analysis, strain ASV31<sup>T</sup> forms a distinct branch of the family <i>Rhodobacteraceae</i>, with <i>Thioclava pacifica</i> DSM 10166<sup>T</sup> being its closest type strain (95.3%). This was confirmed with a phylogenomic tree and the values of ANI (73.9%), dDDH (19.3%), AAI (63.5%) and POCP (56.0%), which were below the genus/species level boundary. Additionally, an ability to degrade aromatic compounds and biosynthesise secondary metabolites was suggested by the genome of strain ASV31<sup>T</sup>. Distinguishing fatty acid profiles and polar lipid content were also observed. The genome size was 3.6 Mbp, with a DNA G+C content of 65.7%. Based on the data obtained, it was considered that strain ASV31<sup>T</sup> (=CECT 30309<sup>T</sup> = LMG 32242<sup>T</sup>) represents a new species of a new genus in the family <i>Rhodobacteraceae</i>, for which the name <i>Anianabacter salinae</i> gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed.
|
|---|