2009 Volume 55 Issue 1 Pages 19-26
A polyphasic study was undertaken to establish the taxonomic positions of two isolates, SK15T and SK60T, from soil samples that were found to have morphological and chemical properties consistent with Kitasatospora strains. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that strains SK15T and SK60T form novel evolutionary lineages within the radiation of the genus Kitasatospora and share the highest 16S rRNA gene sequences similarities with their closest relatives, Kitasatospora setae IAM 15325T (97.8%) and Kitasatospora mediocidica IAM 15162T (97.5%), respectively. However, the results of DNA-DNA hybridization experiment and phenotypic data demonstrated that strains SK15T and SK60T are distinct from their closest phylogenetic neighbors and other Kitasatospora species. For chemotaxonomic characteristics, the cell-wall peptidoglycan of strains contained both meso- and LL-diaminopimelic acids as the diamino acids, the predominant quinone system was MK-9(H6) and MK-9(H8), whole-cell hydrolysates were rich in galactose, mannose and ribose, and the major fatty acids were C16:0, anteiso-C15:0, iso-C15:0 and iso-C16:0. On the basis of both phenotypic and phylogenetic evidence, strains SK15T and SK60T were assigned to represent two novel species of the genus Kitasatospora, for which the names Kitasatospora saccharophila sp. nov. (type strain SK15T=JCM 14559T=KCTC 19566T) and Kitasatospora kazusanensis sp. nov. (type strain SK60T=JCM 14560T=KCTC 19565T) are proposed. It is also proposed that Streptomyces atroaurantiacus should be transferred to the genus Kitasatospora as Kitasatospora atroaurantiaca comb. nov. (type strain NBRC 14327T=DSM 41649T).
