Verrucosispora gifhornensis gen. nov., sp. nov., a new member of the actinobacterial family Micromonosporaceae.

A Gram-positive, aerobic, spore-forming actinomycete strain, HR1-2T, was isolated from a peat bog near Gifhorn, Lower Saxony, Germany. Comparative analysis of the 16S rDNA sequence indicated that HR1-2T was phylogenetically related to members of the family Micromonosporaceae, branching adjacent to Spirilliplanes yamanashiensis, Couchioplanes caeruleus, Catenuloplanes japonicus and members of the genus Micromonospora. The affiliation to the family was supported by the presence of family-specific 16S rDNA signature nucleotides, DNA G + C content of 70 mol%, peptidoglycan of type A1 gamma' (directly crossed-linked, presence of glycine, alanine, glutamic acid and mesodiaminopimelic acid in the peptide side-chain), menaquinone MK-9(H4) as the major respiratory lipoquinone, polar lipid composition PII (phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylinositolmannosides) and a glycolyl type of muramic acid. It differed from genera of the family by the lack of arabinose in whole-cell sugars and a unique nucleotide signature stretch between positions 1132 and 1143 (Escherichia coli numbering), 5' CAAUUCGGUUG 3'. Morphologically strain HR1-2T resembles Micromonospora species but can be distinguished from them by the lack of arabinose in whole-cell sugars, the presence of 10-methyl C17:0 fatty acids and a distinct 16S rDNA sequence. Based on the unique combination of morphological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic properties a new genus, Verrucosispora gen. nov., is proposed. The type species of this genus is Verrucosispora gifhornensis sp. nov., and the type strain of V. gifhornensis is strain HR1-2T (= DSM 44337T).