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Title: GOODFELLOWIA GEN. NOV.: A NEW GENUS OF THE PSEUDONOCARDINEAE RELATED TO ACTINOALLOTEICHUS CONTAINING GOODFELLOWIA COERULEOVIOLACEA GEN. NOV., COMB. NOV.

Author
item Labeda, David
item KROPPENSTEDT, R - DSMZ, GERMANY

Submitted to: International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/13/2006
Publication Date: 6/1/2006
Citation: Labeda, D.P., Kroppenstedt, R.M. 2006. Goodfellowia gen. nov.: a new genus of the Pseudonocardineae related to Actinoalloteichus containing Goodfellowia coeruleoviolacea gen. nov., comb. nov. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 56:1203-1207.

Interpretive Summary: Mankind has benefited from many natural products, such as antibiotics and enzymes, produced by actinomycetes. The microbial strains producing new secondary metabolites are usually deposited into culture collections in conjunction with patent applications or at the type strains of new species. Subsequent study of these strains by later investigators can often result in the discovery that they were originally misclassified. During an evaluation of a set of strains in the genus Saccharothrix held in the ARS Culture Collection using molecular systematic methods it was discovered that one strain, currently known as Saccharothrix coeruleoviolacea, was not a Saccharothrix or any known genus. The strain was evaluated using a broad range of tests, including molecular genetic methods, biochemical analyses, and traditional physiological methods and a new genus was proposed for this strain. The name Goodfellowia is formally proposed for this genus. The Russian scientists who originally isolated this strain reported that it produced a novel antibiotic and therefore the description of the morphological, physiological, and genetic characteristics of this new genus may aid other biotechnology researchers in finding additional strains for exploitation as a source of new antibiotics and other useful compounds.

Technical Abstract: During the course of a phylogenetic evaluation of Saccharothix strains held in the ARS Culture Collection it was discovered that Saccharothrix coeruleoviolacea NRRL B-24058T is unrelated to other species within this genus and a polyphasic study was undertaken to clarify its taxonomic position. Strain NRRL B-24058T is observed to be phylogenetically separate from the family Actinosynnemataceae and is most closely related to the genus Actinoalloteichus. The strain exhibits chemotaxonomic properties that distinguish it from Actinoalloteichus, including a whole cell sugar pattern consisting of galactose and ribose as diagnostic sugars, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylethanolamine containing 2-OH fatty acids, and diphosphatidyl glycerol as the predominant polar lipids, and MK-9(H4) and MK-10(H4) as the only menaquinones observed. Scanning electron microscopic observations of colony growth on several different media did not reveal the presence of sporangia as observed in the phylogenetically related genera Kutzneria and Actinoalloteichus. Strain NRRL B-24058T is distinct from other taxa within the suborder Pseudonocardineae and a new genus to be named Goodfellowia is proposed. The type species of this new genus is Goodfellowia coeruleoviolacea, comb. nov. and the type strain is NRRL B-24058T (= DSM 43935T = IFO 14988T = INA 3564 = JCM 9110T = VKM Ac-1083T).