Natronorubrum texcoconense sp. nov., a haloalkaliphilic archaeon isolated from soil of the former lake Texcoco (Mexico).

A new haloalkaliphilic archaeon, strain B4(T), was isolated from the former lake Texcoco in Mexico. The cells were Gram-negative, pleomorphic-shaped, pink to red pigmented and aerobic. Strain B4(T) required at least 2.5 M NaCl for growth, with optimum growth at 3.4 M NaCl. It was able to grow over a pH range of 7.5-10.0 and temperature of 25-50 °C, with optimal growth at pH 9 and 37 °C. Cells are lysed in hypotonic treatment with less than 1.3 M NaCl. The major polar lipids of strain B4(T) were phosphatidylglycerol and methyl-phosphatidylglycerophosphate. Phospholipids were detected, but not glycolipids. The nucleotide sequence of the 16S rRNA gene revealed that the strain B4(T) was phylogenetically related to members of the genus Natronorubrum. Sequence similarity with Natronorubrum tibetense was 96.28 %, with Natronorubrum sulfidifaciens 95.06 % and Natronorubrum sediminis 94.98 %. The G+C content of the DNA was 63.3 mol%. The name of Natronorubrum texcoconense sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is B4(T) (=CECT 8067(T) = JCM 17497(T)).