Novisyntrophococcus fermenticellae gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from an anaerobic fermentation cellar of Chinese strong-flavour baijiu

A Gram-stain-negative, coccus-shaped, obligately anaerobic, non-motile and non-spore-forming bacterium, designated strain JN500902(T), was isolated from the mud in a fermentation cellar used continuously over 30 years for Chinese strong-flavour baijiu production. Colonies were white, circular, convex and smooth-edged. Growth was observed at 20-40 degrees C (optimum, 37 degrees C), at pH 5.0-10 (optimum, pH 7.5), with 0-2% (w/v) NaCl and with 0-4 % (v/v) ethanol. The Biolog assay demonstrated positive reactions of strain JN500902(T) in the metabolism of L-fucose and pyruvate. The predominant cellular fatty acids (>10 %) consisted of C-16:0 and C-14:0. The major end metabolites of strain JN500902(T) were acetic acid and ethanol when incubated anaerobically in liquid reinforced clostridial medium. Acetate was the major organic acid end product. The complete genome size of strain JN500902(T) was 3420 321 bp with 3327 identified genes. The G+C content was 43.5 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences affiliated strain JN500902(T) with the family Lachnospiraceae, having low sequence similarity (92.8%) to the nearest type strain, Syntrophococcus sucromutans DSM 3224(T) and forming a clearly distinct branch. Core genome phylogenetic analysis of the isolate and 134 strains belonging to the family Lachnospiraceae also revealed that strain JN500902(T) was well-separated from other genera of this family as a monophyletic clade. The average nucleotide identity and amino acid identity values between strain JN500902(T) and 134 Lachnospiraceae strains were less than 74 and 65 %, respectively. Considering its polyphasic characteristics, strain JN500902(T) represents a novel genus and species within the family Lachnospiraceae, for which the name Novisyntrophococcus fermenticellae gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is JN500902(T) (=CICC 24502(T)=JCM 33939(T)).