Thalassolituus alkanivorans sp. nov., a hydrocarbon-utilizing bacterium isolated from the Mariana Trench.

Two strains, TMPB967 and TTPB476, were isolated from two different locations in the Mariana Trench. Cells of strains TMPB967 and TTPB476 were Gram-negative, curved rod-shaped (0.35-0.6 µm×2-4 µm) with flagella. Both strains were catalase- and oxidase-positive. Strains TMPB967 and TTPB476 could grow at 4-37 °C (optimum, 37 °C), at pH 6-9 (optimum, pH 6-7) and in the presence of 0-8 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 5 %). Both strains could grow with tetradecane or hexadecane as the sole carbon source. The predominant isoprenoid quinone was ubiquinone 9. The major cellular fatty acids of strains TMPB967 and TTPB476 were C 9, C and summed feature 3 (C 7 or 6). The polar lipid profile included phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol and an unknown aminolipid. The DNA G+C contents of strains TMPB967 and TTPB476 were 53.1 and 53.0 mol%, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the most closely related validly published species were IMCC1826 (97.1 % similarity) and MIL-1 (95.9 % similarity). Digital DNA-DNA hybridization results of strain TMPB967 with TTPB476, IMCC1826 and MIL-1 were 99.9, 20.9 and 20.2 %, respectively. Average nucleotide identity results of strain TMPB967 with TTPB476, IMCC1826 and MIL-1 were 100, 75.8 and 72.0 %, respectively. On the basis of the phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and molecular features, strains TMPB967 and TTPB476 belong to a novel species within the genus , for which the name sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is TMPB967 (=KCTC 82621=MCCC 1K05476).