TY - JOUR

T1 - Acidithiobacillus ferrianus sp. nov.

T2 - an ancestral extremely acidophilic and facultatively anaerobic chemolithoautotroph

AU - Norris, Paul R

AU - Falagán, Carmen

AU - Moya-Beltrán, Ana

AU - Castro, Matías

AU - Quatrini, Raquel

AU - Johnson, D Barrie

PY - 2020/3

Y1 - 2020/3

N2 - Strain MG, isolated from an acidic pond sediment on the island of Milos (Greece), is proposed as a novel species of ferrous iron- and sulfur-oxidizing Acidithiobacillus. Currently, four of the eight validated species of this genus oxidize ferrous iron, and strain MG shares many key characteristics with these four, including the capacities for catalyzing the oxidative dissolution of pyrite and for anaerobic growth via ferric iron respiration. Strain MG also grows aerobically on hydrogen and anaerobically on hydrogen coupled to ferric iron reduction. While the 16S rRNA genes of the iron-oxidizing Acidi-thiobacillus species (and strain MG) are located in a distinct phylogenetic clade and are closely related (98-99% 16S rRNA gene identity), genomic relatedness indexes (ANI/dDDH) revealed strong genomic divergence between strain MG and all sequenced type strains of the taxon, and placed MG as the first cultured representative of an ancestral phylotype of iron oxidizing acidithiobacilli. Strain MG is proposed as a novel species, Acidithiobacillus ferrianus sp. nov. The type strain is MGT (= DSM 107098T = JCM 33084T). Similar strains have been found as isolates or indicated by cloned 16S rRNA genes from several mineral sulfide mine sites.

AB - Strain MG, isolated from an acidic pond sediment on the island of Milos (Greece), is proposed as a novel species of ferrous iron- and sulfur-oxidizing Acidithiobacillus. Currently, four of the eight validated species of this genus oxidize ferrous iron, and strain MG shares many key characteristics with these four, including the capacities for catalyzing the oxidative dissolution of pyrite and for anaerobic growth via ferric iron respiration. Strain MG also grows aerobically on hydrogen and anaerobically on hydrogen coupled to ferric iron reduction. While the 16S rRNA genes of the iron-oxidizing Acidi-thiobacillus species (and strain MG) are located in a distinct phylogenetic clade and are closely related (98-99% 16S rRNA gene identity), genomic relatedness indexes (ANI/dDDH) revealed strong genomic divergence between strain MG and all sequenced type strains of the taxon, and placed MG as the first cultured representative of an ancestral phylotype of iron oxidizing acidithiobacilli. Strain MG is proposed as a novel species, Acidithiobacillus ferrianus sp. nov. The type strain is MGT (= DSM 107098T = JCM 33084T). Similar strains have been found as isolates or indicated by cloned 16S rRNA genes from several mineral sulfide mine sites.

KW - Acidithiobacillus

KW - Anaerobiosis

KW - DNA, Bacterial

KW - Hydrogen-Ion Concentration

KW - Oxidation-Reduction

KW - Phylogeny

KW - RNA, Ribosomal, 16S

U2 - 10.1007/s00792-020-01157-1

DO - 10.1007/s00792-020-01157-1

M3 - Article

C2 - 31980944

VL - 24

SP - 329

EP - 337

JO - Extremophiles

JF - Extremophiles

SN - 1431-0651

IS - 2

ER -