The growth of Steroidobacter agariperforans sp. nov., a novel agar-degrading bacterium isolated from soil, is enhanced by the diffusible metabolites produced by bacteria belonging to Rhizobiales.

An agar-degrading bacterium was isolated from soil collected in a vegetable cropping field. The growth of this isolate was enhanced by supplying culture supernatants of bacteria belonging to the order Rhizobiales. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated the novel bacterium, strain KA5-B-T, belonged to the genus Steroidobacter in Gammaproteobacteria, but differed from its closest relative, Steroidobacter denitrificans FST, at the species level with 96.5% similarity. Strain KA5-B-T was strictly aerobic, Gram-negative, non-motile, non-spore forming, and had a straight to slightly curved rod shape. Cytochrome oxidase and catalase activities were positive. The strain grew on media containing culture supernatants in a temperature range of 15-37 degrees C and between pH 4.5 and 9.0, with optimal growth occurring at 30 degrees C and pH 6.0-8.0. No growth occurred at 10 or 42 degrees C or at NaCl concentrations more than 3% (w/v). The main cellular fatty acids were iso-C-15:0, C-16:1 omega 7c, and iso-C-17:1 omega 9c. The main quinone was ubiquinone-8 and DNA G+C content was 62.9 mol%. In contrast, strain FST was motile, did not grow on the agar plate, and its dominant cellular fatty acids were C-15:0 and C-17:1 omega 8c. Based on its phylogenetic and phenotypic properties, strain KA5-B-T (JCM 18477(T) = KCTC 32107(T)) represents a novel species in genus Steroidobacter, for which the name Steroidobacter agariperforans sp. nov. is proposed.