Gordonia paraffinivorans sp. nov., a hydrocarbon-degrading actinomycete isolated from an oil-producing well.

The taxonomic position of an actinomycete, strain HD321(T), isolated from an oil-producing well of Daqing oilfield, was clarified using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. The strain possessed cell-wall chemotype IV, MK-9(H(2)) as the predominant menaquinone, relatively long-chain mycolic acids (52-62 carbon atoms) of the Gordonia type, straight-chain saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids and tuberculostearic acid. The G+C content of the DNA was 66 mol%. 16S rDNA analyses as well as chemotaxonomic and physiological properties indicated that strain HD321(T) represents a novel species within the genus Gordonia, for which the name Gordonia paraffinivorans sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is HD321(T) (=AS 4.1730(T)=DSM 44604(T)).