Abstract

The genus Belliella belongs to the family Cyclobacteriaceae (order Cytophagales, phylum Bacteroidota) and harbours aerobic chemoheterotrophic bacteria. Members of this genus were isolated from various aquatic habitats, and our analysis based on global amplicon sequencing data revealed that their relative abundance can reach up to 5-10 % of the bacterioplankton in soda lakes and pans. Although a remarkable fraction of the most frequent genotypes that we identified from continental aquatic habitats is still uncultured, five new alkaliphilic Belliella strains were characterized in detail in this study, which were isolated from three different soda lakes and pans of the Carpathian Basin (Hungary). Cells of all strains were Gram- stain-negative, obligate aerobic, rod-shaped, non-motile and non- spore-forming. The isolates were oxidase-and catalase-positive, red-coloured, but did not contain flexirubin- type pigments; they formed bright red colonies that were circular, smooth and convex. Their major isoprenoid quinone was MK -7 and the predominant fatty acids were iso-C-15:0, iso-C-17:0 3 -OH and summed feature 3 containing C-16:1 omega 6c and/or C-16:1 omega 7c. The polar lipid profiles contained phosphatidylethanolamine, an unidentified aminophospholipid, an unidentified glycolipid, and several unidentified lipids and aminolipids. Based on whole-genome sequences, the DNA G+C content was 37.0, 37.1 and 37.8 mol % for strains R4 -6(T), DMA-N-10a(T) and U6F3(T), respectively. The distinction of three new species was confirmed by in silico genomic comparison. Orthologous average nucleotide identity (<85.4 %) and digital DNA- DNA hybridization values (<38.9 %) supported phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and 16S rRNA gene sequence data and, therefore, the following three novel species are proposed: Belliella alkalica sp. nov. (represented by strains R4-6(T)=DSM 111903(T)=JCM 34281(T)=UCCCB122(T) and S4-10), Belliella calami sp. nov. (DMA-N- 10a(T)=DSM 107340(T)=JCM 34280(T)=UCCCB121(T)) and Belliella filtrata sp. nov. (U6F3(T)=DSM 111904(T)=JCM 34282(T)=UCCCB123(T) and U6F1). Emended descriptions of species Belliella aquatica, Belliella baltica, Belliella buryatensis, Belliella kenyensis and Belliella pelovolcani are also presented.

Keywords

alkaline habitat; Bacteroidota; bacterioplankton; new species; saline environment; soda lake

Published in

International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology
2023, Volume: 73, article number: 005928
Publisher: MICROBIOLOGY SOC

SLU Authors

• Szabó, Attila

  • Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • Centre for Ecological Research

UKÄ Subject classification

Microbiology


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1099/ijsem.0.005928

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/126815