Methylobacterium Nonmethylotrophicum Sp. Nov., Isolated From Tungsten Mine Tailing

A novel pink-pigmented strain, designated 6HR-1(T), was isolated from tungsten mine tailings in Jiangxi Province, PR China. Cells were Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped and motile with a polar flagellum (monotrichous). It could not utilize methanol, methylamine, formaldehyde or formate as a sole carbon source. The methanol dehydrogenase mxaF gene was absent but the xoxF gene was present. Phylogenomic and 16S rRNA gene phylogenetic analyses clearly showed that strain 6HR-1(T) was affiliated to the genus Methylobacterium and closely related to 'Methylobacterium terrae 17Sr1-28(T) (98.6 %). Methylobacterium platani JCM 14648(T) (97.7 %), Methylobacterium variabile DSM 16961(T) (97.7 %) and Methylobacterium currus KACC 19662(T) (97.4 %). The average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain 6HR-1(T) and its closely related type species were 87.4-88.7 and 33.2-36.3 %, respectively. It had summed feature 8 (C-1(8:)1 omega 7c and/or C-1(8:)1 omega 6c) as the major fatty acid and ubiquinone 10 as the predominant respiratory quinone. Polyphasic characterization supported that strain 6HR-1(T) represents a novel species of the genus Methylobacterium, for which the name Methylobacterium nonmethylotrophicum sp. nov. is proposed with the type strain 6HR-1(T) (=GDMCC 1.662(T)=KCIC 42760(T)).