Plantibacter auratus sp. nov., in the family Microbacteriaceae

Strain NCIMB 9991^T is a Gram-positive, short rod-shaped, yellow-pigmented bacterium, with a high DNA G+C content, and was originally deposited in 1967 as Arthrobacter sp. The bacterium is aerobic, non-motile, catalase-positive and oxidase-negative. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequencing studies demonstrated that this strain was highly related genealogically to Plantibacter flavus DSM 14012^T. Strain IAM 14817^T (=NCIMB 9991^T) has the following characteristics: the predominant menaquinones are MK-9 and MK-10, the DNA G+C content is 68 mol%, the diamino acid in the cell wall is 2,4-L-diaminobutyric acid and the muramic acid in the peptidoglycan is of an acetyl type. The major fatty acid is 12-methyl tetradecanoic acid (anteiso-C_{15 : 0}), followed by 14-methyl hexadecanoic acid (anteiso-C_{17 : 0}), 14-methyl pentadecanoic acid (iso-C_{16 : 0}) and hexadecanoic acid (C_{16 : 0}). On the basis of morphological, physiological and chemotaxonomic characteristics, together with DNADNA hybridization and 16S rRNA gene sequence comparison, strain IAM 14817^T represents a novel species within the genus Plantibacter, for which the name Plantibacter auratus sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain IAM 14817^T (=NCIMB 9991^T=NBRC 15702^T).