Alicyclobacillus sendaiensis sp. nov., a novel acidophilic, slightly thermophilic species isolated from soil in Sendai, Japan

An acidophilic, slightly thermophilic bacterium, designated strain NTAP-1^T, that produces a thermostable extracellular acid collagenase activity with potential industrial applications was isolated from soil of Aoba-yama Park, Sendai, Japan. The temperature range for growth was 4065 °C, with an optimum at 55 °C, and the pH range for growth was 2·56·5, with an optimum at pH 5·5. Analysis of the 16S rDNA sequence of strain NTAP-1^T showed that it is most closely related to strains of the genus Alicyclobacillus. Consistently, the major constituents of the cell-membrane lipid of strain NTAP-1^T were ω-alicyclic fatty acids. However, DNADNA reassociation studies showed only low similarities (less than 33 %) to any type strain of Alicyclobacillus. On the basis of the phenotypic and genotypic properties, a novel species is proposed, Alicyclobacillus sendaiensis sp. nov., represented by strain NTAP-1^T (=JCM 11817^T =ATCC BAA-609^T).