Abstract

A bacterial strain designated NYYP31(T)was isolated from the leaves of an annual halophytes,Suaeda corniculataBunge, collected from the southern edge of the Gurbantunggut desert, north-west China. Strain NYYP31(T)was Gram-staining negative, strictly aerobic, rod-shaped, non-motile, and non-spore-forming. Growth was observed at 4-42 degrees C, at pH 5.0-10.0, in the presence of up to 8% (w/v) NaCl. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences and coding sequences of 92 protein clusters showed that strain NYYP31(T)should be assigned to the genusSphingobacterium. 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity analysis showed that strain NYYP31(T)was most closely related to the type strain ofSphingobacterium daejeonense(97.9%) andSphingobacterium lactis(97.7%). The predominant isoprenoid quinone was MK-7. The major fatty acids were identified as iso-C-15:0, iso-C(17:0)3-OH and summed feature 3 (C-16:1 omega 7cand/or C-16:1 omega 6c). The polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, two unidentified phospholipids, three unidentified lipids, three unidentified amino phospholipids, and two unidentified glycolipids. The genomic DNA G + C content was 36.4 mol%. The average nucleotide identity (ANI) values for strain NYYP31(T)to the type strains ofS. daejeonenseandS. lactiswere 77.9 and 74.1%, respectively, which were below the cut-off level (95-96%) for species delineation. Based on the above results, strain NYYP31(T)represents a novel species of the genusSphingobacterium, for which the nameSphingobacterium endophyticumsp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is NYYP31(T)(= CGMCC 1.16979(T) = NBRC 114258(T)).