Flavisolibacter tropicus sp. nov., isolated from tropical soil

A Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, deep yellow, rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain LCS9^T, was isolated from a soil sample at the tropical zone within the Ecorium of the National Institute of Ecology in Seocheon, central-western Korea. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that strain LCS9^T clustered with members of the genus Flavisolibacter of the family Chitinophagaceae, phylum Bacteroidetes. Sequence similarities between strain LCS9^T and the type strains of the genus Flavisolibacter ranged from 94.6 to 94.9 %. Strain LCS9^T grew at 10–37 °C (optimum, 25 °C) and at pH 6.0–10.0 (optimum, pH 7); was positive for catalase and oxidase; and negative for nitrate reduction and production of indole. Cells showed pigment absorbance peaks at 451 and 479 nm, and had 0.03 % survival following exposure to 3 kGy gamma radiation. Strain LCS9^T had the following chemotaxonomic characteristics: the major quinone was menaquinone-7 (MK-7); the major fatty acids were iso-C_{15: 0} and iso-C_{17: 0} 3-OH; polar lipids included phosphoatidylethanolamine, an unidentified aminophospholipid, unidentified aminolipidsand unidentified lipids. The DNA G+C content was 39.4 mol%. Based on polyphasic analysis, the type strain LCS9^T (=KCTC 42070^T=JCM 19972^T) represents a novel species for which the name Flavisolibacter tropicus sp. nov. is proposed. Radiation resistance in the genus Flavisolibacter has not been reported to date, and so this is the first report of low-level radiation resistance of a member of the genus.