Natronomonas gomsonensis sp. nov., isolated from a solar saltern

A halophilic archaeal strain, SA3(T), was isolated from sediment of a solar saltern in Gomso Bay, Republic of Korea. Cells of strain SA3(T) were observed to be coccoid-shaped, to lyse in distilled water, Gram stain-negative and to form red-pigmented colonies. Strain SA3(T) was found to require at least 18 % (w/v) NaCl for growth. Optimal growth was observed at 24 % (w/v) NaCl and 6 % (w/v) MgCl2. The optimum pH and temperature for growth were determined to be pH 7.0 and 40 °C, respectively, while the strain was found to grow within pH and temperature ranges of 5.5-8.0 and 20-45 °C, respectively. The polar lipids were determined to consist of phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol phosphate methyl ester, unidentified phosphoglycolipids and unidentified phospholipids. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain SA3(T) was most closely related to the members of the genus Natronomonas, Natronomonas moolapensis JCM 14361(T) (95.2 %) and Natronomonas pharaonis JCM 8858(T) (95.1 %). The genomic DNA G+C content (61.8 mol%) determined for strain SA3(T) was slightly lower than those of N. moolapensis JCM 14361(T) (63.4 mol%) and N. pharaonis JCM 8858(T) (64.3 mol%). DNA-DNA hybridization values between N. moolapensis JCM 14361(T) and N. pharaonis JCM 8858(T) and strain SA3(T) were <20 %. Based on phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic properties, we describe a new species of the genus Natronomonas, represented by strain SA3(T) (=JCM 17867(T) = KCTC 4088(T)), for which we propose the name Natronomonas gomsonensis sp. nov.