Deinococcus xinjiangensis sp. nov., isolated from desert soil.

A Gram-positive-staining, spherical-shaped and faintly pink-pigmented bacterial strain, X-82(T), was isolated from soil samples collected from a desert in Xinjiang, China. The organism was found to be resistant to UV radiation but sensitive to gamma radiation and desiccation. The optimum growth pH, NaCl concentration and temperature were pH 7.0, 0-1 % NaCl and 30 degrees C. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that strain X-82(T) is member of a novel species belonging to the genus Deinococcus, with Deinococcus hopiensis KR-140(T) as its closest relative (93.5 % similarity). The DNA G+C content (60 mol%), quinone type (MK-8), major cellular fatty acids (16 : 1omega7c, 16 : 0 and 17 : 1 iso omega9c), the presence of peptidoglycan with l-ornithine and the dominant polar lipid (phosphoglycolipids and glycolipids) support the affiliation of strain X-82(T) with the genus Deinococcus. A novel species is proposed, for which the name Deinococcus xinjiangensis sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain X-82(T) (=CCTCC AB 207226(T) =NRRL B-51287(T)).