Winogradskyella ulvae sp. nov., an epiphyte of a Pacific seaweed, and emended descriptions of the genus Winogradskyella and Winogradskyella thalassocola , Winogradskyella echinorum , Winogradskyella exilis and Winogradskyella eximia

Abstract

A Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, slightly halophilic bacterium that was motile by gliding, designated KMM 6390T, was isolated from the coastal green alga Ulva fenestrata collected from the Sea of Japan. A comparative analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain KMM 6390T was a member of the genus Winogradskyella , with Winogradskyella echinorum KMM 6211T as its closest relative (97.8 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity). 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities between the isolate and other members of the genus Winogradskyella were 95.4–96.7 %. DNA–DNA relatedness between the isolate and W. echinorum KMM 6211T was 27 %. Strain KMM 6390T was able to grow with 0.5–4.0 % NaCl and at 4–37 °C. The isolate decomposed casein, gelatin, starch and DNA and produced acid from galactose, d-glucose, lactose and maltose. The major fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0, iso-C15 : 1, anteiso-C15 : 0 and C15 : 0. The polar lipid profile comprised phosphatidylethanolamine and two unknown aminolipids. The DNA G+C content was 34.2 mol%. On the basis of phylogenetic, chemotaxonomic and phenotypic investigations, strain KMM 6390T represents a novel species of the genus Winogradskyella , for which the name Winogradskyella ulvae sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is KMM 6390T ( = KCTC 23626T = LMG 26444T). Emended descriptions of the genus Winogradskyella and of W. thalassocola , W. echinorum , W. exilis and W. eximia are also provided.