Sulfurimonas sediminis sp. nov., a novel hydrogen- and sulfur-oxidizing chemolithoautotroph isolated from a hydrothermal vent at the Longqi system, southwestern Indian ocean.

A novel marine hydrogen- and sulfur-oxidizing bacterium, designated strain S2-6 T, was isolated from the deep-sea sediment samples at the Longqi hydrothermal system, southwestern Indian Ocean. Cells were Gram-stain-negative, motile, short rods with a single polar flagellum. Growth was observed at 10-45 °C (optimum 33 °C), pH 5.0-8.0 (optimum pH 7.0) and 1.5 to 6.0% (w/v) NaCl with an optimum at 3.0% (w/v). The isolate was an obligate chemolithoautotroph capable of growth using thiosulfate, tetrathionate, elemental sulfur or sodium sulfide as the energy source, and oxygen or nitrate as the sole electron acceptor. When hydrogen was used as the energy source, strain S2-6 T could respire oxygen, nitrate or element sulfur. The major cellular fatty acids of strain S2-6 T were summed feature 3 (C16:1ω7c and/or C16:1ω6c), C16:0 and summed feature 8 (C18:1ω7c and/or C18:1ω6c). The total size of its genome was 2,320,257 bp and the genomic DNA G + C content was 37.3 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences and core genes showed that the novel isolate belonged to the genus Sulfurimonas and was most closely related to Sulfurimonas paralvinellae GO25T (96.8% sequence identity) and Sulfurimonas autotrophica OK10T (95.8% sequence identity). The average nucleotide identity and DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain S2-6 T and S. paralvinellae GO25T and S. autotrophica OK10T were 74.6%-81.2% and 19.1%-24.6%, respectively. Based on the polyphase taxonomical data, strain S2-6 T represents a novel species of the genus Sulfurimonas, for which the name Sulfurimonas sediminis sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain S2-6 T (= MCCC 1A14513T = KCTC 15854 T).