Arthrobacter phenanthrenivorans sp nov., to accommodate the phenanthrene-degrading bacterium Arthrobacter sp strain Sphe3

A novel phenanthrene-degrading bacterium, designated strain Sphe3, was isolated from a creosote-contaminated soil in Greece. Cells were non-motile, Gram-positive, aerobic, and rod- to coccus-shaped. The strain was isolated on the basis of formation of a clear zone on agar plates sprayed with phenanthrene. Optimal growth occurred at 30 degrees C. The G+C content of the DNA was 65.7 mol%. The polar lipid pattern of strain Sphe3 (T) consisted of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and diphosphatidylglycerol. The dominant fatty acids were iso-C-15:0, anteiso-C-15:0, iso-C-16:0, C-16:0 and anteiso-C-17:0, representing > 86% of the total fatty acids. The predominant isoprenoid quinone of strain Sphe3(T) was menaquinone-8 (MK-8). Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain Sphe3(T) showed 99 and 98.9% similarity to the type strains of Arthrobacter oxydans and Arthrobacter polychromogenes, respectively. Strain Sphe3(T) showed 91% similarity to homologues of A. oxydans and A. polychromogenes based on recA gene sequence analysis. Based on 16S rRNA and recA gene sequence analysis and DNA-DNA hybridization analysis, as well as physiological and chemotaxonomic characteristics, it is concluded that strain Sphe3(T) represents a novel species of the genus Arthrobacter, for which the name Arthrobacter phenanthrenivorans sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Sphe3(T) (=DSM 18606(T)=LMG 23796(T)).