Alcanivorax dieselolei sp. nov., a novel alkane-degrading bacterium isolated from sea water and deep-sea sediment.

Two bacterial strains, B-5(T) and NO1A, were isolated from the surface water of the Bohai Sea and deep-sea sediment of the east Pacific Ocean, respectively. Both strains were halophilic, aerobic, Gram-negative, non-spore-forming, catalase- and oxidase-positive motile rods. They grew on a restricted spectrum of organic compounds, including some organic acids and alkanes. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, strains B-5(T) and NO1A were shown to belong to the gamma-Proteobacteria. Highest similarity values were found with Alcanivorax venustensis (95.2 %), Alcanivorax jadensis (94.6 %) and Alcanivorax borkumensis (94.1 %). Principal fatty acids of both strains were C(16 : 0), C(16 : 1)omega7c and C(18 : 1)omega7c. The chemotaxonomically characteristic fatty acid C(19 : 0) cyclo omega8c was also detected. On the basis of the above, together with results of physiological and biochemical tests, DNA-DNA hybridization, comparisons of 16S-23S internal transcribed spacer sequences and comparisons of the partial deduced amino acid sequence of alkane hydroxylase, both strains were affiliated to the genus Alcanivorax but were differentiated from recognized Alcanivorax species. Therefore, a novel species, Alcanivorax dieselolei sp. nov., represented by strains B-5(T) and NO1A is proposed, with the type strain B-5(T) (=DSM 16502(T)=CGMCC 1.3690(T)).