Three strains of Gram-negative, aerobic, neutrophilic and halophilic bacteria were isolated from samples of a salt lake on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and a subterranean saline well in the Si-Chuan Basin of China. These isolates, designated AJ275^T, AJ282^Tand ZG16^T, were investigated using a polyphasic approach. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, the isolates could be affiliated to the genusHalomonas. Genomic DNA G+C contents were 65.9 mol% for AJ275^T, 56.7 mol% for AJ282^Tand 57.6 mol% for ZG16^T. The results of DNA–DNA hybridizations, fatty acid analysis and physiological and biochemical tests allowed the isolates to be differentiated genotypically and phenotypically from closely related species. It is proposed that strains AJ275^T(=CGMCC 1.6493^T=JCM 14606^T=LMG 23976^T), AJ282^T(=CGMCC 1.6494^T=JCM 14607^T=LMG 23978^T) and ZG16^T(=CGMCC 1.6495^T=JCM 14608^T=LMG 23977^T) represent the type strains of three novel species in the genusHalomonas:Halomonas saccharevitanssp. nov.,Halomonas arcissp. nov. andHalomonas subterraneasp. nov., respectively.

The members of the phylum Bacteroidetes are recognized as some of the most important specialists for the degradation of polysaccharides. However, in contrast to research on Bacteroidetes in the human gut, research on polysaccharide degradation by marine Bacteroidetes is still rare. The genus Algibacter belongs to the Flavobacteriaceae family of the Bacteroidetes , and most species in this genus are isolated from or near the habitat of algae, indicating a preference for the complex polysaccharides of algae. In this work, a novel brown-seaweed-degrading strain designated HZ22 was isolated from the surface of a brown seaweed ( Laminaria japonica ). On the basis of its physiological, chemotaxonomic, and genotypic characteristics, it is proposed that strain HZ22 represents a novel species in the genus Algibacter with the proposed name Algibacter alginolytica sp. nov. The genome of strain HZ22, the type strain of this species, harbors 3,371 coding sequences (CDSs) and 255 carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes), including 104 glycoside hydrolases (GHs) and 18 polysaccharide lyases (PLs); this appears to be the highest proportion of CAZymes (∼7.5%) among the reported strains in the class Flavobacteria . Seventeen polysaccharide utilization loci (PUL) are predicted to be specific for marine polysaccharides, especially algal polysaccharides from red, green, and brown seaweeds. In particular, PUL N is predicted to be specific for alginate. Taking these findings together with the results of assays of crude alginate lyases, we prove that strain HZ22 ^T can completely degrade alginate. This work reveals that strain HZ22 ^T has good potential for the degradation of algal polysaccharides and that the structure and related mechanism of PUL in strain HZ22 ^T are worth further research.

A new bacterial strain, designated 452T, was isolated from the rhizosphere soil of the mangrove Avicennia marina in China. As determined, its cell wall peptidoglycan contained LL-diaminopimelic acid; MK-9(H8) and MK-9(H6) were the major isoprenoid quinones; and iso-C16:0 (31.3%), anteiso-C15:0 (16.9%), and iso-C15:0 (12.5%) were the major cellular fatty acids (>10.0%). Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that strain 452T formed a distinct lineage in the clade of the genus Streptomyces, and was closely related to S. coerulescens DSM 40146T (99.6% sequence identity), S. bellus DSM 40185T (99.5%), and S. coeruleorubidus DSM 41172T (99.3%). The DNA-DNA relatedness between strain 452T and these type strains ranged between 29.3 and 42.3%. Based on the phenotypic, chemotaxonomic, and phylogenetic features, the strain 452T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Streptomyces, for which the name Streptomyces nigra sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 452T (=KCTC 39960T=MCCC 1K03346T). Further, strain 452T extracts exhibited a pronounced antitumor activity against human cancer cell lines A549, HCT-116, and HepG2, but not against normal human colon cells CCD-18Co. Active substances in the fermentation broth of strain 452T were isolated by bioassay-guided analysis, and then purified using a macroporous resin, silica gel, sephadex LX-20 column, and semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Eight proline-containing diketopiperazines, namely, cyclo(Pro-Ala), cyclo(Pro-Gly), cyclo(Pro-Phe), cyclo(Pro-Met), cyclo(Pro-Val), cyclo(Pro-Leu), cyclo(Pro-Tyr), and cyclo(L-Leu-trans-4-hydroxy-L-Pro), were identified by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The compounds displayed different levels of cytotoxicity. The highest cytotoxicity was exhibited by cyclo(Pro-Ala) and cyclo(Pro-Met) against A549 cells, and cyclo(Phe-Pro) and cyclo(Pro-Ala) against HCT-116 cells, with average IC50 values equal to 18.5, 27.3, 32.3, and 47.6 g/mL, respectively. The diversity of diketopiperazines and other chemicals produced by 452T was further investigated using gas chromatography (GC)-MS and liquid chromatography (LC)-MS. The analysis revealed 16 types of metabolites with antitumor activity and 16 other types of diketopiperazines. Hence, extracts of the newly identified strain may be used a starting material for the development of antitumor agents.

Cobalt-rich crusts are important metallic mineral resources with great economic potential, usually distributed on seamounts located in the Pacific Oc

Strain CMB17^T was a short rod-shaped bacterium isolated from marine sediment of the Pacific Ocean. Cells were Gram-stain-negative and non-motile. Optimal growth occurred at 25–30 °C, pH 6.5–7 and 0.5–1 % (w/v) NaCl. The major fatty acid was C_18 : 1ω7c (87.59 %), and ubiquinone-10 was detected as the only isoprenoid quinone. The DNA G+C content of the genomic DNA was 62.2 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain CMB17^T is most closely related to Paracoccus stylophorae KTW-16^T (96.7 %), P. solventivorans DSM 6637^T (96.4 %) and P. saliphilus YIM 90738^T (96.4 %). Based on phenotypic, genotypic and phylogenetic characteristics, strain CMB17^T is proposed to represent a novel species, denominated Paracoccus sediminis sp. nov. (type strain CMB17^T = JCM 18467^T = DSM 26170^T = CGMCC 1.12681^T).