Persephonella hydrogeniphila sp. nov., a novel thermophilic, hydrogen-oxidizing bacterium from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent chimney

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Abstract
A novel thermophilic, hydrogen-oxidizing bacterium, designated 29WT, was isolated from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent chimney sample collected from the Suiyo Seamount in the Izu-Bonin Arc, Japan, at a depth of 1385 m. The cells were cocci (0·9–1·0 μm in diameter) and straight rods (2·3–2·7 μm long) under static and agitated culture conditions, respectively. The new isolate was an obligate chemolithoautotroph growing by respiratory nitrate reduction with H2, forming N2 as a final product. A very low concentration of O2 (optimum 0·6–0·8 %, v/v) was also used as an alternative electron acceptor while reduced sulfur compounds did not serve as electron donors. Anoxic hydrogen-oxidizing growth with nitrate was observed between 50 and 72·5 °C (optimum 70 °C; 40 min doubling time), pH 5·5 and 7·6 (optimum pH 7·2), and in the presence of 1·5 and 5·0 % NaCl (optimum 2·5 %). The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 37·3 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rDNA sequences indicated that the isolate was a member of the recently described genus Persephonella in a potential new family within the order Aquificales. On the basis of the physiological and molecular properties of the new isolate, the name Persephonella hydrogeniphila sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is strain 29WT (=JCM 11663T=DSM 15103T).