Oceanobacillus iheyensis gen. nov., sp. nov., a deep-sea extremely halotolerant and alkaliphilic species isolated from a depth of 1050 m on the Iheya Ridge.

An extremely halotolerant and alkaliphilic bacterium was isolated previously from deep-sea sediment collected at a depth of 1050 m on the Iheya Ridge. The strain, designated HTE831 (JCM 11309, DSM 14371), was Gram-positive, strictly aerobic, rod-shaped, motile by peritrichous flagella, and spore-forming. Strain HTE831 grew at salinities of 0-21% (w/v) NaCl at pH 7.5 and 0-18% at pH 9.5. The optimum concentration of NaCl for growth was 3% at both pH 7.5 and 9.5. The G+C content of its DNA was 35.8%. Low level (12-30%) of DNA-DNA relatedness between strain HTE831 and the species of these genera was found, indicating that HTE831 could not be classified as a member of a new species belonging to known genera. Based on phylogenetic analysis using 16S rDNA sequencing, chemotaxonomy, and the physiology of strain HTE831, it is proposed that this organism is a member of a new species in a new genus, for which the name Oceanobacillus iheyensis is proposed.