[Properties of the obligate methylotroph Methylophilus methanolovorus]

A strain of obligate methylotrophic bacteria utilizing methanol as a sole source of carbon and energy was isolated from the activated sludge. The bacteria are strictly aerobic Gram-negative non-pigmented motile rods with a single polar flagellum. They do not form spores or capsules and have no complex intracytoplasmic membranes. They do not require vitamins and assimilate methanol via the hexulose phosphate pathway. The G+C content of DNA is 51.0 +/- 0.5 mole%. The optimal temperature is 30-38 degrees C, the optimal pH is 6.8-7.4. The obligate dependence on C1-substrates but not on methane, as well as the absence of complex intracytoplasmic membranes, makes it possible to assign such methylotrophs to the genus Methylophilus nov. gen. The description of the new genus and species M. methanolovorus nov. gen., nov. sp. is presented.