HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Abstract Full Text (PDF) Fatty acid and mycolic acid profiles Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Arenskötter, M. Articles by Steinbüchel, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Arenskötter, M. Articles by Steinbüchel, A. Agricola Articles by Arenskötter, M. Articles by Steinbüchel, A.

Gordonia nitida Yoon et al. 2000 is a later synonym of Gordonia alkanivorans Kummer et al. 1999

¹ Institut für Molekulare Mikrobiologie und Biotechnologie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstrasse 3, D-48149, Germany
² Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen, Mascheroder Weg 1b, D-38124 Braunschweig, Germany

Correspondence
Alexander Steinbüchel
steinbu{at}uni-muenster.de

	ABSTRACT

TOP ABSTRACT MAIN TEXT REFERENCES

 
The name of the species Gordonia nitida is validly published but its type strain DSM 44499^T shares high similarity based on 16S rRNA gene sequences with Gordonia alkanivorans DSM 44369^T and Gordonia westfalica DSM 44215^T. These three species obviously build up a distinct cluster within the genus Gordonia. In the present paper, data from the literature concerning the three Gordonia species were reviewed and the genetic similarity of G. nitida DSM 44499^T and G. alkanivorans DSM 44369^T was further investigated by DNA–DNA-hybridization experiments, revealing approximately 80 % DNA–DNA relatedness. Even though the two type strains could be differentiated by automated ribotyping, it is proposed that, according to the rules of priority, G. nitida is a later synonym of G. alkanivorans.

Details of the fatty acid and mycolic acid compositions of G. nitida, G. alkanivorans and G. westfalica are available as supplementary material in IJSEM Online.

	MAIN TEXT

TOP ABSTRACT MAIN TEXT REFERENCES

 
Gordonia alkanivorans was first described by Kummer et al. (1999) as a novel species isolated from tar- and phenol-contaminated soil of a former tar factory in Rositz (eastern Thuringia, Germany). Gordonia nitida was isolated from industrial wastewater and was demonstrated to degrade 3-ethylpyridine and 3-methylpyridine (Yoon et al., 2000). Gordonia westfalica was isolated as a cis-1,4-polyisoprene-degrading bacterium from fouling water taken from inside a deteriorated automobile tyre on a farmer's field in Münster (Westfalia, Germany; Linos et al., 2002). The type strains of all three species exhibit orange to orange-red colonies due to the synthesis of carotenoids.

As revealed by analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences of G. alkanivorans DSM 44369^T, G. nitida DSM 44499^T and G. westfalica DSM 44215^T, these species build up a distinct cluster within the genus Gordonia (Fig. 1). Furthermore, G. alkanivorans DSM 44369^T and G. nitida DSM 44499^T exhibited identical nucleotide sequences within the hypervariable regions of their 16S rRNA genes (Arenskötter et al., 2001, 2004). The 16S rRNA genes of G. alkanivorans DSM 44369^T and G. nitida DSM 44499^T share 99·93 % overall nucleotide identity, whereas the sequence identities between G. alkanivorans DSM 44369^T and G. westfalica DSM 44215^T and between G. nitida DSM 44499^T and G. westfalica DSM 44215^T are respectively 99·71 and 99·78 %. These data indicate the close phylogenetic relatedness between these species. This close relationship is also reflected by the chemotaxonomic properties of the strains. The cellular fatty acids of G. alkanivorans DSM 44369^T and G. nitida DSM 44499^T have almost the same composition (Supplementary Table A in IJSEM Online). All three species synthesize C_{16 : 0}, C_{18 : 1} and tuberculostearic acid as the main cellular fatty acids, but G. westfalica DSM 44215^T differs significantly from the other two species by the absence of C_{16 : 1}cis-9, which is one of the major constituents in G. alkanivorans DSM 44369^T and G. nitida DSM 44499^T. Also, the composition and amounts of individual mycolic acids in G. alkanivorans DSM 44369^T and G. nitida DSM 44499^T were approximately identical, while G. westfalica DSM 44215^T exhibited a distinguishable mycolic acid pattern (Supplementary Table B). Both G. alkanivorans DSM 44369^T and G. nitida DSM 44499^T synthesize mycolic acids ranging from 52 to 58 carbon atoms in length, with C₅₄ and C₅₆ as the two major mycolic acids. In contrast, the main mycolic acids of G. westfalica DSM 44215^T were C₅₆, C₅₈ and C₆₀. The physiological properties of G. alkanivorans DSM 44369^T and G. nitida DSM 44499^T regarding the ability to utilize several carbon sources are also more similar than they are to G. westfalica (Kim et al., 2003). In contrast to G. westfalica DSM 44215^T, G. alkanivorans DSM 44369^T and G. nitida DSM 44499^T hydrolysed p-nitrophenyl phosphorylcholine.

View larger version (30K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig. 1. Neighbour-joining tree (Saitou & Nei, 1987) based on nearly complete 16S rRNA gene sequences of members of the genus Gordonia. The species investigated in this study are in bold. Names in quotes have not been validly published. Numbers at nodes indicate levels of bootstrap support based on a neighbour-joining analysis of 1000 resampled datasets; only values above 60 % are given. Bar, 0·005 substitutions per nucleotide position.

The high similarities of chemotaxonomic markers and the nearly identical 16S rRNA gene sequences of G. alkanivorans DSM 44369^T and G. nitida DSM 44499^T (1423 of 1424 nucleotides identical) prompted us to reinvestigate the phylogenetic correlation of these species by DNA–DNA hybridization experiments and by automated ribotyping. Automated ribotyping was performed as described previously (Allerberger & Fritschel, 1999) applying the RiboPrinter Microbial Characterization System (Qualicon). The type strains of all three bacterial species exhibited different RiboPrint patterns resulting from PvuII-digested DNA (Fig. 2). Since RiboPrint patterns are strain-specific for many organisms, the relationship of the type strains of G. alkanivorans and G. nitida was examined at the species level by DNA–DNA hybridization as the established method for definition of bacterial species (Wayne et al., 1987; Stackebrandt et al., 2002). For DNA–DNA hybridization, DNA was isolated using a French pressure cell (Thermo Spectronic) and was purified by chromatography on hydroxyapatite as described by Cashion et al. (1977). DNA–DNA hybridization was performed as described previously (De Ley et al., 1970) with modifications according to Escara & Hutton (1980) and Huß et al. (1983) using a Gilford model 2600 spectrophotometer equipped with a model 2527-R thermoprogrammer and plotter. Renaturation rates were calculated using the TRANSFER.BAS program (Jahnke, 1992) and, from two independent experiments, reassociation values of 81·1 and 77·5 % were obtained. Thus, according to Wayne et al. (1987), G. alkanivorans DSM 44369^T and G. nitida DSM 44499^T represent members of the same species, since the reassociation value was higher than 70 %. Based on the reviewed data and on the additional results presented in this paper, it is proposed that the species G. nitida and G. alkanivorans should be considered synonymous; according to rules of priority (Rules 38 and 42 of the Bacteriological Code; Lapage et al., 1992), the name G. alkanivorans is the earlier synonym and the name G. nitida the later synonym.

View larger version (15K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig. 2. PvuII ribotypes of G. alkanivorans DSM 44369T, G. nitida DSM 44499T and G. westfalica DSM 44215T.

	ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

 
We are grateful for financial support provided by the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (Osnabrück, Germany) in context of an ICBIO project (AZ. 13072).

	REFERENCES

TOP ABSTRACT MAIN TEXT REFERENCES

 
Allerberger, F. & Fritschel, S. J. (1999). Use of automated ribotyping of Austrian Listeria monocytogenes isolates to support epidemiological typing. J Microbiol Methods 35, 237–244.[CrossRef][Medline]

Arenskötter, M., Baumeister, D., Berekaa, M. M., Pötter, G., Kroppenstedt, R. M., Linos, A. & Steinbüchel, A. (2001). Taxonomic characterization of two rubber degrading bacteria belonging to the species Gordonia polyisoprenivorans and analysis of hyper variable regions of 16S rDNA sequences. FEMS Microbiol Lett 205, 277–282.[Medline]

Arenskötter, M., Bröker, D. & Steinbüchel, A. (2004). Biology of the metabolically diverse genus Gordonia. Appl Environ Microbiol 70, 3195–3204.[Free Full Text]

Cashion, P., Holder-Franklin, M. A., McCully, J. & Franklin, M. (1977). A rapid method for the base ratio determination of bacterial DNA. Anal Biochem 81, 461–466.[CrossRef][Medline]

De Ley, J., Cattoir, H. & Reynaerts, A. (1970). The quantitative measurement of DNA hybridization from renaturation rates. Eur J Biochem 12, 133–142.[Medline]

Escara, J. F. & Hutton, J. R. (1980). Thermal stability and renaturation of DNA in dimethyl sulfoxide solutions: acceleration of the renaturation rate. Biopolymers 19, 1315–1327.[CrossRef][Medline]

Huß, V. A. R., Festl, H. & Schleifer, K. H. (1983). Studies on the spectrometric determination of DNA hybridization from renaturation rates. Syst Appl Microbiol 4, 184–192.

Jahnke, K.-D. (1992). Basic computer program for evaluation of spectroscopic DNA renaturation data from GILFORD System 2600 spectrometer on a PC/XT/AT type personal computer. J Microbiol Methods 15, 61–73.

Kim, K. K., Lee, C. S., Kroppenstedt, R. M., Stackebrandt, E. & Lee, S. T. (2003). Gordonia sihwensis sp. nov., a novel nitrate-reducing bacterium isolated from a wastewater-treatment bioreactor. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 53, 1427–1433.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Kummer, C., Schumann, P. & Stackebrandt, E. (1999). Gordonia alkanivorans sp. nov., isolated from tar-contaminated soil. Int J Syst Bacteriol 49, 1513–1522.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Lapage, S. P., Sneath, P. H. A., Lessel, E. F., Skerman, V. B. D., Seelinger, H. P. R. & Clark, W. A. (editors) (1992). International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria (1990 Revision). Bacteriological Code. Washington, DC: American Society for Microbiology.

Linos, A., Berekaa, M. M., Steinbüchel, A., Kim, K. K., Spröer, C. & Kroppenstedt, R. M. (2002). Gordonia westfalica sp. nov., a novel rubber-degrading actinomycete. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 52, 1133–1139.[Abstract]

Saitou, N. & Nei, M. (1987). The neighbor-joining method: a new method for reconstructing phylogenetic trees. Mol Biol Evol 4, 406–425.[Abstract]

Stackebrandt, E., Frederiksen, W., Garrity, G. M. & 10 other authors (2002). Report of the ad hoc committee for the re-evaluation of the species definition in bacteriology. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 52, 1043–1047.[Abstract]

Wayne, L. G., Brenner, D. J., Colwell, R. R. & 9 other authors (1987). Report of the ad hoc committee on reconciliation of approaches to bacterial systematics. Int J Syst Bacteriol 37, 463–464.[Free Full Text]

Yoon, J.-H., Lee, J. J., Kang, S. S., Takeuchi, M., Shin, Y. K., Lee, S. T., Kang, K. H. & Park, Y. H. (2000). Gordonia nitida sp. nov., a bacterium that degrades 3-ethylpyridine and 3-methylpyridine. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 50, 1203–1210.[Abstract]

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. K. Kim, K. C. Lee, H.-P. Klenk, H.-M. Oh, and J.-S. Lee Gordonia kroppenstedtii sp. nov., a phenol-degrading actinomycete isolated from a polluted stream Int J Syst Evol Microbiol, August 1, 2009; 59(8): 1992 - 1996. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Iida, H. Taniguchi, A. Kageyama, K. Yazawa, H. Chibana, S. Murata, F. Nomura, R. M. Kroppenstedt, and Y. Mikami Gordonia otitidis sp. nov., isolated from a patient with external otitis Int J Syst Evol Microbiol, September 1, 2005; 55(5): 1871 - 1876. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This Article Abstract Full Text (PDF) Fatty acid and mycolic acid profiles Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Arenskötter, M. Articles by Steinbüchel, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Arenskötter, M. Articles by Steinbüchel, A. Agricola Articles by Arenskötter, M. Articles by Steinbüchel, A.