Deinococcus arenae sp. nov., a novel species isolated from sand in South Korea

A Gram-negative strain, designated SA1(T), was isolated from a sand specimen from Yangyang Beach, South Korea. The cells of SA1(T) were observed to be red pigmented, strictly aerobic, non-motile rods. Strain SA1(T) was found to grow optimally at 30 °C and pH 7 (pH growth range, pH 7-9). Phylogenetic analyses of the 16S rRNA gene sequence of SA1(T) showed that the organism belongs to the phylum Deinococcus-Thermus and forms a branch within the genus Deinococcus, with Deinococcus actinosclerus BM2(T) as a close relative (99.8   % sequence similarity). The strain was found to be catalase positive and oxidase negative and to metabolise 2-ketogluconate, acetate, D,L-3-hydroxybutyrate, D-glucose, D-maltose, D-mannitol, D-mannose, D-melibiose, D-sorbitol, D-sucrose, glycogen, L-alanine, L-histidine, L-malate, L-proline and n-valerate. The guanine plus cytosine (G + C) base composition of the DNA was 69.5 mol %, as determined by the thermal denaturation method. The predominant respiratory quinone was identified as menaquinone with eight isoprene units (MK-8). The polar lipid profile of strain SA1(T) showed the presence of several unidentified glycolipids, phosphoglycolipids, phospholipids, aminophospholipids and unidentified lipids. In addition, the most abundant fatty acids of strain SA1(T) were identified as C15:1 ω6c, C16:1 ω7c and C17:0. On the basis of phylogenetic analyses, DNA-DNA hybridisation and biochemical characteristics, strain SA1(T) (=KCTC 33741(T) = JCM 31047(T)) is concluded to represent a novel species of the genus Deinococcus, for which the name Deinococcus arenae sp. nov. is proposed.