Microbulbifer okhotskensis sp. nov., isolated from a deep bottom sediment of the Okhotsk Sea

A Gram-negative, aerobic, non-motile bacterium KMM 9862(T) was isolated from a deep bottom sediment sample obtained from the Okhotsk Sea, Russia. Based on the 16S rRNA gene and whole genome sequences analyses the novel strain KMM 9862(T) fell into the genus Microbulbifer (class Gammaproteobacteria) sharing the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities of 97.4% to Microbulbifer echini AM134(T) and Microbulbifer epialgicus F-104(T), 97.3% to Microbulbifer pacificus SPO729(T), 97.1% to Microbulbifer variabilis ATCC 700307(T), and similarity values of < 97.1% to other recognized Microbulbifer species. The average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain KMM 9862(T) and M. variabilis ATCC 700307(T) and M. thermotolerans DSM 19189(T) were 80.34 and 77.72%, and 20.2 and 19.0%, respectively. Strain KMM 9862(T) contained Q-8 as the predominant ubiquinone and C-16:0, C-16:1 omega 7c, C-12:0, and C-10:0 3-OH as the major fatty acids. The polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, an unidentified aminophospholipid, an unidentified aminolipid, two unidentified phospholipids, phosphatidic acid, and an unidentified lipid. The DNA G+C content of 49.8% was calculated from the genome sequence. On the basis of the phylogenetic evidence and distinctive phenotypic characteristics, the marine bacterium KMM 9862(T) is proposed to be classified as a novel species Microbulbifer okhotskensis sp. nov. The type strain of the species is strain KMM 9862(T) (= KACC 22804(T)).