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 WV39^T, isolated from the faeces of Antarctic penguins. Cells of strain WV39^T were Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic, yellow and rod-shaped. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that strain WV39^T was closely related to Flavobacterium qiangtangense JCM 19739^T (96.3 % similarity), Flavobacterium noncentrifugens NBRC 108844^T (95.5 %) and Flavobacterium aquatile LMG 4008^T (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 : 1ω7c). Menaquinone-6 was the sole quinone identified, and the major pigment was zeaxanthin. The major polar lipid was phosphatidylethanolamine. DNA-DNA relatedness of strain WV39^T with respect to its closest phylogenetic neighbours was 41.8 % for F. qiangtangense JCM 19739^T, 25.5 % for F. aquatile LMG 4008^T and 25.2 % for F. noncentrifugens NBRC 108844^T. The DNA G+C content of strain WV39^T was 39.8 mol%. Based on the phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic data, strain WV39^T is concluded to represent a novel species of the genus Flavobacterium, for which the name Flavobacteriumkingsejongi sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is WV39^T (=KCTC 42908^T=CECT 9085^T).

Keywords: Antarctica; Flavobacterium; carotenoid; penguin stool.