Devosia yakushimensis sp. nov., isolated from root nodules of Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi

Abstract

A Gram-negative, strictly aerobic bacterium, comprising non-endospore-forming motile rods (1.2–2.0 μm × 0.4–0.6 μm) with polar flagellae was isolated from root nodules of the leguminous plant Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi growing on the coast of Yakushima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The novel strain, designated Yak96BT, grew at an optimum pH of 7.0 and an optimum temperature of 28 °C. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that the new strain was closely related to Devosia neptuniae J1T and Devosia chinhatensis IPL18T, with sequence similarities of 98.1 % and 97.8 %, respectively. However, the DNA–DNA relatedness values of strain Yak96BT with D. neptuniae LMG 21357T and D. chinhatensis CCM 7426T were 53.6 % and 34 %, respectively. The DNA G+C content of strain Yak96BT was 65.3 mol%, the predominant isoprenoid quinone was Q10 (85 %) and the polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol and diphosphatidylglycerol. The major fatty acids (>5 %) were 11-methyl C18 : 1 ω7c (35.0 %), C16 : 0 (22.4 %), C18 : 1 ω7c (21.8 %), C19 : 0 cyclo ω8c (6.8 %) and C18 : 0 (5.4 %). The infection/nodulation test was negative and nifH and nodD genes were not detected. Based on its chemotaxonomic and physiological characteristics, strain Yak96BT represents a novel species of the genus Devosia, for which the name Devosia yakushimensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Yak96BT (=KCTC 22147T=NBRC 103855T=LMG 24299T).