Chryseobacterium ginsengiterrae sp. nov., with Beta-Glucosidase Activity Isolated from Soil of a Ginseng Field.

The isolated Chryseobacterium ginsengiterrae sp. nov DCY68T was found to be Gram-negative, aerobic, non-motile, non-flagellate and rod-shaped. Their size was approximately 0.40-0.46 × 1.0-1.27 μm. The colonies were yellow-pigmented, convex, circular and 0.5-1.3 mm in diameter when grown on R2A agar for 2 days. DNA, esculin, skim milk, gelatine, starch, Tween 20, and Tween 80 were hydrolyzed, but not cellulose. The cells grew on R2A, TSA, and NA but not on MacConkey agars. Growth occured at 4-33 °C (optimum, 30 °C), at pH 5.0-8.0 (optimum, pH 6.5), and 0-2.5% NaCl. Nitrate was not reduced to nitrite. Oxidase and catalase activity were positive. Strain DCY68T contained β-glucosidase activity in which ginsenoside Rb1 was enzymatically converted to ginsenoside F2. Analysis of the16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that strain C. ginsengiterrae sp. nov DCY68T belonged to the family Flavobacteriaceae and was most closely related to C. limigenitum SUR2T (97.4%). The genomic DNA G+C content was 42.0 mol%. The predominant quinones were MK-6 (74.5%) and MK-7 (25.5%). The major fatty acids were iso-C15:0, summed feature 3 (containing C16:1 ω7c and/or C16:1 ω6c) and iso-C17:0 3-OH. On the basis of these phenotypic, genotypic and chemotaxonomic studies, strain DCY68T represents a novel species of the genus Chryseobacterium, for which name C. ginsengiterrae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is DCY68T (=KCTC 32089T = JCM 18517T).