Flavobacterium kingsejongi sp. Nov., a carotenoid-producing species isolated from antarctic penguin faeces

Abstract

Taxonomic studies were carried out on a carotenoid-producing strain, designated WV39T, isolated from the faeces of Antarctic penguins. Cells of strain WV39T were Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic, yellow and rod-shaped. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that strain WV39T was closely related to Flavobacterium qiangtangense JCM 19739T (96.3 % similarity), Flavobacterium noncentrifugens NBRC 108844T (95.5 %) and Flavobacterium aquatile LMG 4008T (94.9 %). The predominant cellular fatty acids were iso-C15: 0, iso-C15: 0 3-OH and summed feature 3 (comprising iso-C15: 0 2-OH and/or C16: 1!7c). Menaquinone-6 was the sole quinone identified, and the major pigment was zeaxanthin. The major polar lipid was phosphatidylethanolamine. DNA–DNA relatedness of strain WV39T with respect to its closest phylogenetic neighbours was 41.8 % for F. qiangtangense JCM 19739T, 25.5 % for F. aquatile LMG 4008T and 25.2 % for F. noncentrifugens NBRC 108844T. The DNA G+C content of strain WV39T was 39.8 mol%. Based on the phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic data, strain WV39T is concluded to represent a novel species of the genus Flavobacterium, for which the name Flavobacterium kingsejongi sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is WV39T (=KCTC 42908T=CECT 9085T).