Saccharothrix xinjiangensis sp. nov., a pyrene-degrading actinomycete isolated from Tianchi Lake, Xinjiang, China.

A pyrene-degrading isolate, strain PYX-6(T), was obtained from Tianchi Lake, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China, and was identified by means of polyphasic taxonomy. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, strain PYX-6(T) was closely related to members of the genus Saccharothrix. Its 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to each of Saccharothrix syringae, Saccharothrix australiensis, Saccharothrix algeriensis and Saccharothrix coeruleofusca was 98 %. Chemotaxonomic and physiological properties of strain PYX-6(T) further supported its affiliation to the genus Saccharothrix. DNA-DNA hybridization results and physiological and biochemical tests allowed genotypic and phenotypic differentiation of strain PYX-6(T) from recognized Saccharothrix species. Therefore, strain PYX-6(T) represents a novel species, for which the name Saccharothrix xinjiangensis sp. nov. is proposed, with type strain PYX-6(T) (=AS 4.1731(T)=JCM 12329(T)).