Deinococcus ruber sp. Nov., a radiation-resistant bacterium isolated from soil

Two gamma- and UVC-resistant bacterial strains, designated JSH3-1^T and 9-2-2, were isolated from garden soil in South Korea. Cells were Gram-stain-positive, aerobic, non-motile and spherical. A polyphasic approach was used to study the taxonomic properties of strains JSH3-1^T and 9-2-2. Phylogenetic analysis based on nearly full-length 16S rRNA gene sequences of strains JSH3-1^T and 9-2-2 indicated highest similarity with Deinococcus radiomollis PO-04-20-132^T (94.7 and 94.9 %, respectively); levels of sequence similarity with the type strains of other Deinococcus species were less than 94.0 %. Strains JSH3-1^T and 9-2-2 shared relatively high 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity (98.7 %) and had a high DNA reassociation value of 81±0.5 %. Meanwhile, they showed low levels of DNA reassociation (<25 %) with other closely related species of the genus Deinococcus. The two strains showed chemotaxonomic features typical of the genus Deinococcus, with the presence of menaquinone 8 as the respiratory quinone. The predominant fatty acids were iso-C_17:0, iso-C_13:0 and anteiso-C_13:0. The polar lipids comprised phosphoglycolipid, aminophospholipid, glycolipid and unknown aminolipids. The DNA G+C contents of strains JSH3-1^T and 9-2-2 were 62.0 and 61.9 mol%, respectively. On the basis of their phenotypic and genotypic characteristics, and phylogenetic distinction, strains JSH3-1^T (=KCTC 33790^T=JCM 31311^T) and 9-2-2 (=KCTC 33789=JCM 31310) should be classified within a novel species of the genus Deinococcus, for which the name Deinococcus ruber sp. nov. is proposed.