Alcanivorax pacificus sp. nov., isolated from a deep-sea pyrene-degrading consortium.

A taxonomic study was carried out on a novel bacterial strain, designated W11-5(T), which was isolated from a pyrene-degrading consortium enriched from deep-sea sediment of the Pacific Ocean. The isolate was Gram-reaction-negative and oxidase- and catalase-positive. Growth was observed in 0.5-12 % (w/v) NaCl and at 10-42 °C. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain W11-5(T) was shown to belong to the genus Alcanivorax with a close relation to A. dieselolei B-5(T) (93.9 % 16S rRNA sequence similarity), A. balearicus MACL04(T) (93.1 %), A. hongdengensis A-11-3(T) (93.1 %), A. borkumensis SK2(T) (93.0 %), A. venustensis ISO4(T) (93.0 %) and A. jadensis T9(T) (92.9 %). Similarities between the gyrB gene sequences of W11-5(T) and other species of the genus Alcanivorax were between 76.8 and 80.8 %. The principal fatty acids were C(12 : 0) 3-OH (8.0 %), C(16 : 0) (29.1 %) and C(18 : 1)ω7c (27.4 %). The G+C content of the chromosomal DNA was 60.8 mol%. Based on its morphology, physiology and fatty acid composition as well as the results of 16S rRNA and gyrB gene sequence analyses, strain W11-5(T) ( = MCCC 1A00474(T)  = CCTCC AB 208236(T)  = LMG 25514(T)) represents a novel species of the genus Alcanivorax, for which the name Alcanivorax pacificus sp. nov. is proposed.