Inoculation of ACC deaminase-producing endophytic bacteria down-regulates ethylene-induced pathogenesis-related signaling in red pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) under salt stress.

Pathogenesis-related (PR) signaling plays multiple roles in plant development under abiotic and biotic stress conditions and is regulated by a plethora of plant physiological as well as external factors. Here, our study was conducted to evaluate the role of an ACC deaminase-producing endophytic bacteria in regulating ethylene-induced PR signaling in red pepper plants under salt stress. We also evaluated the efficiency of the bacteria in down-regulating the PR signaling for efficient colonization and persistence in the plant endosphere. We used a characteristic endophyte, Methylobacterium oryzae CBMB20 and its ACC deaminase knockdown mutant (acdS- ). The wild-type M. oryzae CBMB20 was able to decrease ethylene emission by 23% compared to the noninoculated and acdS- M. oryzae CBMB20 inoculated plants under salt stress. The increase in ethylene emission resulted in enhanced hydrogen peroxide concentration, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activity, ß-1,3 glucanase activity, and expression profiles of WRKY, CaPR1, and CaPTI1 genes that are typical salt stress and PR signaling factors. Furthermore, the inoculation of both the bacterial strains had shown induction of PR signaling under normal conditions during the initial inoculation period. However, wild-type M. oryzae CBMB20 was able to down-regulate the ethylene-induced PR signaling under salt stress and enhance plant growth and stress tolerance. Collectively, ACC deaminase-producing endophytic bacteria down-regulate the salt stress-mediated PR signaling in plants by regulating the stress ethylene emission levels and this suggests a new paradigm in efficient colonization and persistence of ACC deaminase-producing endophytic bacteria for better plant growth and productivity.

Genome-based Reclassification of Paraburkholderia insulsa as a Later Heterotypic Synonym of Paraburkholderia fungorum and Proposal of Paraburkholderia terrae subsp. terrae subsp. nov. and Paraburkholderia terrae subsp. steynii subsp. nov.

Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences similarity of > 99.8%, the phylogeny of 88 Paraburkholderia strains was reconstructed. Further, they were subjected to overall genome-related indices (OGRI), which resulted in the identification of distinct pairs of species that were closely related. A pair consist of the type strains of Paraburkholderia insulsa and Paraburkholderia fungorum possessed a dDDH value of 87.9%, correspondingly, and the average nucleotide identity (ANI) value was 98.5%. Based on the phylogenetic analysis, OGRI and phenotypical evidence, P. insulsa was proposed as a later heterotypic synonym of P. fungorum. Furthermore, a pair comprising type strains of Paraburkholderia terrae and Paraburkholderia steynii possessed dDDH and ANI values of 71.2% and 96.6%, respectively, and difference in phenotypic traits, which supports a subspecies proposal within these taxa. Thus, the recently described Paraburkholderia steynii was proposed into two subspecies namely Paraburkholderia terrae subsp terrae subsp. nov and as Paraburkholderia terrae subsp. steynii subsp. nov.

Halomonas icarae sp. nov., a moderately halophilic bacterium isolated from beach soil in India.

A moderately halophilic, Gram-stain-negative, aerobic bacterium, strain D1-1T, belonging to the genus Halomonas, was isolated from soil sampled at Pentha beach, Odisha, India. Phylogenetic trees reconstructed based on 16S rRNA genes and multilocus sequence analysis of gyrB and rpoD genes revealed that strain D1-1T belonged to the genus Halomonas and was most closely related to Halomonas alimentaria YKJ-16T (98.1 %) followed by Halomonas ventosae Al12T (97.5 %), Halomonas sediminicola CPS11T (97.5 %), Halomonas fontilapidosi 5CRT (97.4 %) and Halomonas halodenitrificans DSM 735T (97.2 %) on the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity. Sequence identities with other species within the genus were lower than 97.0 %. The digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) and average nucleotide identity (ANI) values of 22.4-30 % and 79.5-85.4 % with close relatives of H. halodenitrificans DSM 735T, H. alimentaria YKJ-16T, H. ventosae Al12T and H. fontilapidosi 5CRT were lower than the threshold recommended for species delineation (70 % and 95-96 % for dDDH and ANI, respectively). Further, strain D1-1T formed yellow-coloured colonies; cells were rod-shaped, motile with optimum growth at 30 °C (range, 4-45 °C) and 2-8 % NaCl (w/v; grew up to 24 % NaCl). The major fatty acids were summed feature 8 (C18 : 1 ω7c/C18 : 1 ω6c), summed feature 3 (C16 : 1 ω7c/C16 : 1 ω6c) and C16 : 0 and the main respiratory quinone was ubiquinone Q-9 in line with description of the genus. Based on its chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic characteristics and genome uniqueness, strain D1-1T represents a novel species in the genus Halomonas, for which we propose the name Halomonas icarae sp. nov., within the family Halomonadaceae. The type strain is D1-1T (=JCM 33602T=KACC 21317T=NAIMCC-B-2254T).

Phylogenomic analyses of the Staphylococcaceae family suggest the reclassification of five species within the genus Staphylococcus as heterotypic synonyms, the promotion of five subspecies to novel species, the taxonomic reassignment of five Staphylococcus species to Mammaliicoccus gen. nov., and the formal assignment of Nosocomiicoccus to the family Staphylococcaceae.

Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences of members of the family Staphylococcaceae showed the presence of para- and polyphyletic genera. This finding prompted a thorough investigation into the taxonomy of the Staphylococcaceae family by analysing their core genome phylogeny complemented with genome-based indices such as digital DNA-DNA hybridization, average nucleotide identity and average amino acid identity. The resulting data suggested the following proposals: Auricoccus indicus was reduced in taxonomic rank as a later heterotypic synonym of Abyssicoccus albus; Staphylococcus petrasii subsp. jettensis as a later heterotypic synonym of Staphylococcus petrasii subsp. petrasii; the unification of Staphylococcus aureus subsp. anaerobius and Staphylococcus aureus subsp. aureus as Staphylococcus aureus; the unification of Staphylococcus carnosus subsp. utilis and Staphylococcus carnosus subsp. carnosus as Staphylococcus carnosus; the unification of Staphylococcus saprophyticus subsp. bovis and Staphylococcus saprophyticus subsp. saprophyticus as Staphylococcus saprophyticus; Staphylococcus succinis subsp. casei as the novel species Staphylococcus casei; Staphylococcus schleiferi subsp. coagulans as the novel species Staphylococcus coagulans; Staphylococcus petrasii subsp. croceilyticus as the novel species Staphylococcus croceilyticus; Staphylococcus petrasii subsp. pragensis as the novel species Staphylococcus pragensis; Staphylococcus cohnii subsp. urealyticus as the novel species Staphylococcus urealyticus; the reassignment of Staphylococcus sciuri, Staphylococcus fleurettii, Staphylococcus lentus, Staphylococcus stepanovicii and Staphylococcus vitulinus to the novel genus Mammaliicoccus with Mammaliicoccus sciuri as the type species; and the formal assignment of Nosocomiicoccus as a member of the family Staphylococcaceae.

Sphingomonas palmae sp. nov. and Sphingomonas gellani sp. nov., endophytically associated phyllosphere bacteria isolated from economically important crop plants.

In this study, two endophytic bacterial strains designated JS21-1T and S6-262T isolated from leaves of Elaeis guineensis and stem tissues of Jatropha curcas respectively, were subjected for polyphasic taxonomic approach. On R2A medium, colonies of strains JS21-1T and S6-262T are orange and yellow, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and whole-genome sequences placed the strains in distinct clades but within the genus Sphingomonas. The DNA G + C content of JS21-1T and S6-262T were 67.31 and 66.95%, respectively. Furthermore, the average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values of strains JS21-1T and S6-262T with phylogenetically related Sphingomonas species were lower than 95% and 70% respectively. The chemotaxonomic studies indicated that the major cellular fatty acids of the strain JS21-1T were summed feature 8 (C18:1 ω7c and/or C18:1 ω6c), C16:0, and C14:0 2OH; strain S6-262T possessed summed feature 3 (C16:1 ω7c and/or iso-C15:0 2-OH) and summed feature 8 (C18:1 ω6c and/or C18:1 ω7c). The major quinone was Q10, and the unique polyamine observed was homospermidine. The polar lipid profile comprised of mixture of sphingoglycolipid, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol and certain uncharacterised phospholipids and lipids. Based on this polyphasic evidence, strains JS21-1T and S6-262T represent two novel species of the genus Sphingomonas, for which the names Sphingomonas palmae sp. nov. and Sphingomonas gellani sp. nov. are proposed, respectively. The type strain of Sphingomonas palmae sp. nov. is JS21-1T (= DSM 27348T = KACC 17591T) and the type strain of Sphingomonas gellani sp. nov. is S6-262T (= DSM 27346T =  KACC 17594T).

Genome-based analyses reveal the presence of 12 heterotypic synonyms in the genus Streptomyces and emended descriptions of Streptomyces bottropensis, Streptomyces celluloflavus, Streptomyces fulvissimus, Streptomyces glaucescens, Streptomyces murinus, and Streptomyces variegatus.

Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences of the genus Streptomyces showed the presence of six distinguishable clusters, with 100 % sequence similarity values among strains in each cluster; thus they shared almost the same evolutionary distance. This result corroborated well with the outcome of core gene (orthologous gene clusters) based genome phylogeny analysis of 190 genomes including the Streptomyces species in those six clusters. These preeminent results led to an investigation of genome-based indices such as digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH), average nucleotide identity (ANI) and average amino acid identity (AAI) for the strains in those six clusters. Certain strains recorded genomic indices well above the threshold values (70 %, 95-96 % and >95 % for dDDH, ANI and AAI, respectively) determined for species affiliation, suggesting only one type strain belongs to described species and the other(s) may need to be reduced in taxa to a later heterotypic synonym. To conclude, the results of comprehensive analyses based on phylogenetic and genomic indices suggest that the following six reclassifications are proposed: Streptomyces flavovariabilis as a later heterotypic synonym of Streptomyces variegatus; Streptomyces griseofuscus as a later heterotypic synonym of Streptomyces murinus; Streptomyces kasugaensis as a later heterotypic synonym of Streptomyces celluloflavus; Streptomyces luridiscabiei as a later heterotypic synonym of Streptomyces fulvissimus; Streptomyces pharetrae as a later heterotypic synonym of Streptomyces glaucescens; and Streptomyces stelliscabiei as a later heterotypic synonym of Streptomyces bottropensis.

Chitinasiproducens palmae gen. nov., sp. nov., a new member of the family Burkholderiaceae isolated from leaf tissues of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.).

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped, leaf-associated bacterium, designated JS23T, was isolated from surface-sterilized leaf tissue of an oil palm grown in Singapore and was investigated by polyphasic taxonomy. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences and 180 conserved genes in the genome of several members of Burkholderiaceae revealed that strain JS23T formed a distinct evolutionary lineage independent of other taxa within the family Burkholderiaceae. The predominant ubiquinone was Q-8. The primary polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, and an unidentified aminophospholipid. The major fatty acids were C16 : 0, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1 ω7c /C16 : 1 ω6c) and summed feature 8 (C18 : 1 ω7c /C18 : 1 ω6c). The size of the genome is 5.36 Mbp with a DNA G+C content of 66.2 mol%. Genomic relatedness measurements such as average nucleotide identity, genome-to-genome distance and digital DNA-DNA hybridization clearly distinguished strain JS23T from the closely related genera Burkholderia, Caballeronia, Mycetohabitans, Mycoavidus, Pandoraea, Paraburkholderia, Robbsia and Trinickia. Furthermore, average amino acid identity values and the percentages of conserved proteins, 56.0-68.4 and 28.2-45.5, respectively, were well below threshold values for genus delineation and supported the assignment of JS23T to a novel genus. On the basis of the phylogenetic, biochemical, chemotaxonomic and phylogenomic evidence, strain JS23T is proposed to represent a novel species of a new genus within the family Burkholderiaceae, for which the name Chitinasiproducens palmae gen. nov., sp. nov., is proposed with the type strain of JS23T (= DSM 27307T=KACC 17592T).

Reclassification of Sphingomonas aeria as a later heterotypic synonym of Sphingomonas carotinifaciens based on whole-genome sequence analysis.

The 16S rRNA gene sequences of Sphingomonas carotinifaciens L9-754T and Sphingomonas aeria B093034T possess 99.71 % sequence similarity. Further studies were undertaken to clarify the taxonomic assignments of these species. Whole-genome comparisons showed that S. aeria B093034Tand S. carotinifaciens L9-754T shared 96.9 % average nucleotide identity, 98.4 % average amino acid identity and 76.1 % digital DNA-DNA hybridization values. These values exceeded or approached the recommended species delineation threshold values. Furthermore, a phylogenetic tree based on 41 of the most conserved genes provided additional evidence that S. aeria B093034T and S. carotinifaciens L9-754T are very closely related. Based on this evidence we propose the reclassification of S. aeria Xue et al. 2018 as a later heterotypic synonym of S. carotinifaciens Madhaiyan et al. 2017.

Phytobacter palmae sp. nov., a novel endophytic, N2 fixing, plant growth promoting Gammaproteobacterium isolated from oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.).

A novel strain S29T with high nitrogen fixing ability was isolated from surface-sterilized leaf tissues of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) growing in Science Park II, Singapore. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene analysis and multilocus sequence typing with the rpoB, gyrB, infB and atpD genes, strain S29T was a member of the genus Phytobacter, with Phytobacter ursingii ATCC 27989T and Phytobacter diazotrophicus LS 8T as its closest relatives. Unique biochemical features that differentiated strain S29T from its closest relatives were the ability to utilize melibiose, α-cyclodextrin, glycogen, adonital, d-arabitol, m-inositol and xylitol. The major fatty acids were C14 : 0, C16 : 0, C17 : 0, C16 : 1 ω5c and summed feature 2 containing C16 : 1 ω7c and/or C16 : 1 ω6c. The polar fatty acid profile consisted of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, an unidentified aminophospholipid and aminolipids. The draft genome of strain S29T comprised 5, 284, 330 bp with a G + C content of 52.6 %. The average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain S29T and the phylogenetically related Enterobacterales species were lower than 95 % and 70 %, respectively. Thus, the polyphasic evidences generated through the phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and genomic methods confirmed that strain S29T represents a novel species of the genus Phytobacter, for which we propose the name Phytobacter palmae sp. nov. with the type strain of S29T (=DSM 27342T=KACC 17598T).

Corrigendum: Shoot the Message, Not the Messenger-Combating Pathogenic Virulence in Plants by Inhibiting Quorum Sensing Mediated Signaling Molecules.

[This corrects the article on p. 556 in vol. 8, PMID: 28446917.].

Sphingomonas jatrophae sp. nov. and Sphingomonas carotinifaciens sp. nov., two yellow-pigmented endophytes isolated from stem tissues of Jatropha curcas L.

Two yellow-pigmented isolates, S5-249T and L9-754T, originating from surface-sterilized plant tissues of Jatropha curcas L. (Jatropha) cultivars were characterized using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Strains S5-249T and L9-754T had 16S rRNA genes sharing 94.2 % sequence similarity with each other and 91.6-97.2 % sequence similarity with those of other species in the genus Sphingomonas, suggesting that they represent two potentially novel species. The 16S rRNA gene sequences of strains S5-249T and L9-754T shared the highest similarity to that of Sphingomonas sanguinis NBRC 13937T (96.1 and 97.2 %, respectively). The genomic DNA G+C contents of strains S5-249T and L9-754T were 66.9 and 68.5 mol%, respectively. The respiratory quinone was determined to be Q-10, and the major polyamine was homospermidine. Strains S5-249T and L9-754T contained summed feature 7 (comprising C18 : 1ω7c, C18 : 1ω9t and/or C18 : 1ω12t), C16 : 1, C14 : 0 2-OH and summed feature 4 (C16 : 1ω7t, iso-C15 : 0 2-OH and C16 : 1ω7c) as the major cellular fatty acids. The predominant polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and sphingoglycolipid. The average nucleotide identity (ANI) values between S. sanguinis NBRC 13937T and the two type strains (S5-249T and L9-754T) were 72.31 and 77.73 %, respectively. Digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) studies between the novel strains (S5-249T and L9-754T) and other species of the genus Sphingomonas were well below the thresholds used to discriminate between bacterial species. The results of dDDH and physiological tests allowed genotypic and phenotypic differentiation of the strains from each other as well as from the species of the genus Sphingomonas with validly published names. These data strongly support the classification of the strains as representatives of novel species, for which we propose the names Sphingomonas jatrophae sp. nov. (type strain S5-249T=DSM 27345T=KACC 17593T) and Sphingomonas carotinifaciens sp. nov. (type strain L9-754T=DSM 27347T=KACC 17595T).

Characterizing endophytic competence and plant growth promotion of bacterial endophytes inhabiting the seed endosphere of Rice.

BACKGROUND: Rice (Oryza sativa L. ssp. indica) seeds as plant microbiome present both an opportunity and a challenge to colonizing bacterial community living in close association with plants. Nevertheless, the roles and activities of bacterial endophytes remain largely unexplored and insights into plant-microbe interaction are compounded by its complexity. In this study, putative functions or physiological properties associated with bacterial endophytic nature were assessed. Also, endophytic roles in plant growth and germination that may allow them to be selectively chosen by plants were also studied. RESULTS: The cultivable seed endophytes were dominated by Proteobacteria particularly class Gammaproteobacteria. Highly identical type strains were isolated from the seed endosphere regardless of the rice host's physiological tolerance to salinity. Among the type strains, Flavobacterium sp., Microbacterium sp. and Xanthomonas sp. were isolated from the salt-sensitive and salt-tolerant cultivars. PCA-Biplot ordination also showed that specific type strains isolated from different rice cultivars have distinguishing similar characteristics. Flavobacterium sp. strains are phosphate solubilizers and indole-3-acetic acid producers with high tolerance to salinity and osmotic stress. Pseudomonas strains are characterized as high siderophore producers while Microbacterium sp. and Xanthomonas sp. strains have very high pectinase and cellulase activity. Among the physiological traits of the seed endophytes, bacterial pectinase and cellulase activity are positively correlated as well as salt and osmotic tolerance. Overall characterization shows that majority of the isolates could survive in 4-8% salt concentration as well as in 0.6 M and 1.2 M sucrose solution. The activities of catalase, pectinase and cellulase were also observed in almost all of the isolates indicating the importance of these characteristics for survival and colonization into the seed endosphere. Seed bacterial endophytes also showed promising plant growth promoting activities including hormone modulation, nitrogen fixation, siderophore production and phosphate solubilization. CONCLUSION: Though many of the isolates possess similar PGP and endophytic physiological traits, this study shows some prominent and distinguishing traits among bacterial groups indicating key determinants for their success as endophytes in the rice seed endosphere. Rice seeds are also inhabited by bacterial endophytes that promote growth during early seedling development.

Paenibacillus polysaccharolyticus sp. nov., a xylanolytic and cellulolytic bacteria isolated from leaves of Bamboo Phyllostachys aureosulcata.

A novel xylanolytic and cellulolytic strain, BL9T, was isolated from leaves of the Bamboo plants maintained at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Campus, Coimbatore, India. On the basis of the results of 16S rRNA gene analysis, it was determined to be phylogenetically close to the type strains of Paenibacillus amylolyticus NRRL NRS-290T (98.3 %), Paenibacillus barcinonensis BP-23T (98.1 %), Paenibacillus tundrae A10bT (98.0 %) and Paenibacillus xylanexedens B22aT (97.6 %). The strain stained Gram variable and was aerobic, motile and catalase- and oxidase-positive, with rod-shaped cells. Based upon the genome sequence, the average nucleotide identity with the related species ranged from 66 % to 72 %, and the digital DNA-DNA hybridization value ranged from 13 % to 27 %. The DNA G+C content was 45.6 mol%, meso-diaminopimelic acid was identified as the predominant component of the cell wall, and MK-7 was the only menaquinone in cell membranes. The whole-cell fatty acid profile included C16 : 0, iso-C14 : 0, anteiso-C15 : 0 and iso-C16 : 0. The polar lipids identified were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylserine and diphosphtidylglycerol. On the basis of these polyphasic taxonomic traits, BL9T represents a novel species of the genus Paenibacillus, for which the name Paenibacillus polysaccharolyticus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is BL9T (=NBRC 105191T=ICMP 17623T).

Pseudomonas sesami sp. nov., a plant growth-promoting Gammaproteobacteria isolated from the rhizosphere of Sesamum indicum L.

A novel Gram-stain negative, aerobic, motile, rod-shaped bacterium was isolated from Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) rhizosphere soil. Based on the 16S rRNA gene similarity value (99.4-98.6%) obtained with phylogenetically closely related strains and through analyses of their house keeping genes (atpD, infB and rpoB), the strain SI-P133T was delineated among the species of the genus Pseudomonas and was subjected to polyphasic taxonomic analysis. It was a chemoorganotroph which grew at wide range of temperature (4-45 °C), pH (5.5-9.5) and NaCl concentrations (0-7% (w/v). DNA-DNA hybridization values with closely related type strains DSM 9751T, DSM 19095T, DSM 21509T, ICMP 9151T and DSM 6929T ranged from 23.1 to 44.2%. The most abundant fatty acids were C16:0, C10:0 3-OH, summed feature 3 (comprising C16:1 ω7c and/or C16:1 ω6c), C17:0 cyclo and C12:0 3-OH. The major isoprenoid quinone system was ubiquinone 9 (Q-9) and the G+C content was 61.3 mol%. The major polar lipids of the strain SI-P133T were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine. With regard to prospective use in agriculture, plant growth-promoting properties of the strain were tested and plant growth-promotion was demonstrated under in vitro conditions. Based on the various polyphasic taxonomic traits analysed, the strain SI-P-133T was novel and placed within the genus Pseudomonas. Hence we propose a novel species named Pseudomonas sesami sp. nov., for which the type strain is SI-P133T (=NCIMB 14519T = KCTC 22518T).

Planococcus versutus sp. nov., isolated from soil.

A taxonomic study was performed on a novel Gram-stain-positive, coccus-shaped, orange-pigmented motile bacterium, designated as strain L10.15T. The organism was isolated from a soil sample collected in Lagoon Island (close to Adelaide Island, western Antarctic Peninsula) using a quorum-quenching enrichment medium. Growth occurred at 4-30 °C, pH 6-11 and at moderately high salinity (0-15 %, w/v, NaCl), with optimal growth at 26 °C, at pH 7-8 and with 6 % (w/v) NaCl. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that strain L10.15T belonged to the genus Planococcus and was closely related to Planococcus halocryophilus Or1T (99.3 % similarity), Planococcus donghaensis JH1T (99.0 %), Planococcus antarcticus DSM 14505T (98.3 %), Planococcus plakortidis AS/ASP6 (II)T (97.6 %), Planococcus maritimus TF-9T (97.5 %), Planococcus salinarum ISL-6T (97.5 %) and Planococcus kocurii NCIMB 629T (97.5 %). However, the average nucleotide identity-MUMmer analysis showed low genomic relatedness values of 71.1-81.7 % to the type strains of these closely related species of the genus Planococcus. The principal fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0, C16 : 1ω7c and anteiso-C17 :  0, and the major menaquinones of strain L10.15T were MK-5 (48 %), MK-6 (6 %) and MK-7 (44 %). Polar lipid analysis revealed the presence of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol and aminophospholipid. The DNA G+C content was 39.4 mol%. The phenotypic and genotypic data indicate that strain L10.15T represents a novel species of the genus Planococcus, for which the name Planococcus versutus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is L10.15T (=DSM 101994T=KACC 18918T).

Complete Genome Sequence of Bacillus velezensis CBMB205, a Phosphate-Solubilizing Bacterium Isolated from the Rhizoplane of Rice in the Republic of Korea.

Bacillus velezensis CBMB205 (= KACC 13105(T) = NCCB 100236(T)) was isolated from the rhizoplane of rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. O-dae). According to previous studies, this bacterium has several genes that can promote plant growth, such as the phosphorus-solubilizing protein-coding gene. Here, we present the first complete genome of B. velezensis CBMB205.

Paenibacillus methanolicus sp. nov., a xylanolytic, methanol-utilizing bacterium isolated from the phyllosphere of bamboo (Pseudosasa japonica).

Strain BL24T, isolated from bamboo phyllosphere collected in Coimbatore, India, was studied for taxonomic classification. Cells of the strain were aerobic, Gram-stain-positive, motile, catalase- and oxidase-positive rods and grew on media containing methanol. In 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain BL24Tshowed the highest sequence similarities with Paenibacillus phyllosphaeraeKACC 11473T (97.8 %) and Paenibacillus sacheonensisSY01 (95.1 %). DNA-DNA hybridization with P. phyllosphaerae KACC 11473T, phylogenetically the most closely related species, was 21.6 %; this value showed that strain BL24Tbelonged to a different species. The cell-wall peptidoglycan was found to possess meso-diaminopimelic acid and the G+C content of genomic DNA was 52.1 mol %. It contained menaquinone (MK)-7 as the predominant respiratory quinone and the major cellular fatty acids are C16 : 0, anteiso-C15 : 0, iso-C16 : 0, and anteiso-C17 : 0. Based on the molecular and chemotaxonomic markers and physiological properties, strain BL24T (=NRRL B-51698T=CCM 7577T) is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Paenibacillus, for which the name Paenibacillusmethanolicusis proposed.

Streptomyces pini sp. nov., an actinomycete isolated from phylloplane of pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) needle-like leaves.

A novel siderophore-producing actinomycete, designated PL19T, was isolated from the Scots-pine needle-like leaves collected from TNAU campus, Coimbatore, India. The isolate was chemoorganotrophic in nutrition and able to grow at 30 °C, and the optimum pH and NaCl facilitated the growth pH 6-11 and 0-8 % (w/v), respectively. The cells are filamentous and the mycelia formed are basically of wide and intricately branched substrate mycelium from which aerial mycelia arises, later gets differentiated into spores that are warty and arranged spirally. The 16S rRNA gene of strain PL19T was sequenced and was highly similar to the type strains of species of the genus Streptomyces, including Streptomyces barkulensis RC1831T (98.8 % pairwise similarity), Streptomyces fenghuangensis GIMN4.003T (98.2 %), Streptomyces nanhaiensis SCSIO 01248T (98.0 %), Streptomyces radiopugnans R97T (97.9 %), Streptomyces atacamensis C60T (97.8 %) and Streptomyces macrosporus NBRC 14749T (97.2 %), all of which were subjected to taxonomical characterization using a polyphasic approach. The strains showed unique carbon utilization patterns, and it possesses iso-C16 : 0 anteiso-C15 : 0 and anteiso-C17 : 0 as a major cellular fatty acids. The cell-wall was dominated with ll-type diaminopimelic acid, and the menaquinone type was MK-9(H6, H8). These chemotaxonomic evidences placed strain PL19T within the genus Streptomyces. The determination of G+C ratio (69.5 mol%) and DNA-DNA hybridization values (13.4-31.8 % with the phylogenetically related species) helped in further hierarchical classification of strain PL19T. Based on morphological, physiological and chemotaxonomic data as well as DNA-DNA hybridization values, strain PL19T could be distinguished from the evolutionarily closest species currently available. All these collective data show that strain PL19T represents a novel species of the genus Streptomyces, for which the name Streptomyces pini sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is PL19T (=NRRL B-24728T=ICMP 17783T).