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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Crop Bioprotection Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #335399
Title: Colwellia agarivorans sp. nov., an agar-digesting marine bacterium isolated from coastal seawater

Author
item XU, ZHEN-XING - Shandong University
item ZHANG, HENG-XI - Shandong University
item HAN, JI-RU - Shandong University
item Dunlap, Christopher
item Rooney, Alejandro - Alex
item MU, DA-SHUAI - Shandong University
item DU, ZONG-JUN - Shandong University

Submitted to: International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/21/2017
Publication Date: 6/20/2017
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/5934960
Citation: Xu, Z., Zhang, H., Han, J., Dunlap, C.A., Rooney, A.P., Mu, D., Du, Z. 2017. Colwellia agarivorans sp. nov., an agar-digesting marine bacterium isolated from coastal seawater. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 67(6):1969-1974. doi: 10.1099/ijsem.0.001897.

Interpretive Summary: ARS researchers from Peoria, IL collaborated with scientists from Shandong University in Weihai, China to characterize a novel bacterium found in marine environment. This manuscript reports on the characterization of a new species of bacteria Colwellia agarovorans, that is able to a digest agar. This species may possesses novel and unusual biochemical characteristics, which makes it attractive for various agricultural and biotechnological purposes. As such, this strain was accessioned into the Crop Bioprotection Research Unit’s culture collection where its potential for biological control applications can be assessed in future studies.

Technical Abstract: A novel Gram-stain-negative, facultatively anaerobic, yellowish and agar-digesting marine bacterium, designated strain QM50**T, was isolated from coastal seawater in an aquaculture site near Qingdao, China. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rDNA sequences revealed that the novel isolate represented a member of the genus Colwellia and exhibited the highest sequence similarity (97.0 %) to the strain Colwellia aestuarii SMK-10**T. Cells of strain QM50**T are approximately 0.3–0.6 × 0.8–2.5 µm in size and motile by means of a polar flagellum. Growth occurs in the presence of 1.0–6.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 2.0–3.0 %), at pH 6.5–8.5 (optimum, 7.0) and at 4–37°C (optimally, 28–30 °C). Strain QM50**T was found to contain ubiquinone 8 (Q-8) as the predominant ubiquinone and summed feature 3 (C16:1 w7c and/or iso-C 15:0 2-OH), C16:0 and C17:1 w8c as main cellular fatty acids. Phosphatidylethanolamine and an unidentified lipid were found to be major polar lipids. The DNA G+C content of strain QM50**T was determined to be 35.7 mol%. On the basis of phylogenetic and phenotypic data, strain QM50**T represents a novel species of genus Colwellia, for which the name Colwellia agarovorans sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is QM50**T (= KCTC 52273**T = MCCC 1H00143**T).