Rubrivivax benzoatilyticus sp. nov., an aromatic, hydrocarbon-degrading purple betaproteobacterium

1 Department of Plant Sciences, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, PO Central University, Hyderabad 500 046, India 2 Environmental Microbial Biotechnology Laboratory, Center for Environment, Institute of Science and Technology, J.N.T. University, Kukatpally, Hyderabad 500 072, India 3 Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad 500 007, India 4 Leibniz-Institut für Meereswissenschaften, IFM-GEOMAR, Marine Mikrobiologie, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105 Kiel, Germany Correspondence Ch. V. Ramana r449{at}sify.com A brown-coloured bacterium was isolated from photoheterotrophic (benzoate) enrichments of flooded paddy soil from Andhra Pradesh, India. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain JA2 T was shown to belong to the class Betaproteobacteria , related to Rubrivivax gelatinosus (99 % sequence similarity). Cells of strain JA2 T are Gram-negative, motile rods with monopolar single flagella. The strain contained bacteriochlorophyll a and most probably the carotenoids spirilloxanthin and sphaeroidene, but did not have internal membrane structures. Intact cells had absorption maxima at 378, 488, 520, 590, 802 and 884 nm. No growth factors were required. Strain JA2 T grew on benzoate, 2-aminobenzoate (anthranilate), 4-aminobenzoate, 4-hydroxybenzoate, phthalate, phenylalanine, trans -cinnamate, benzamide, salicylate, cyclohexanone, cyclohexanol and cyclohexane-2-carboxylate as carbon sources and/or electron donors. The DNA G+C content was 74.9 mol%. Based on DNA–DNA hybridization studies, 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and morphological and physiological characteristics, strain JA2 T is different from representatives of other photosynthetic species of the Betaproteobacteria and was recognised as representing a novel species, for which the name Rubrivivax benzoatilyticus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is JA2 T (=ATCC BAA-35 T =JCM 13220 T =MTCC 7087 T ). Abbreviations: BChl a , bacteriochlorophyll a ; FT-IR, fourier-transform infrared The GenBank/EMBL/DDBJ accession number for the 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain JA2 T is AJ888903 . Micrographs of cells of strain JA2 T and figures showing whole-cell absorption and FT-IR spectra and a graph showing growth of and utilization of benzoate by strain JA2 T are available as supplementary material in IJSEM Online.