Characterisation of Kothea flammea gen. nov., sp. nov., a planctomycete of the family Pirellulaceae isolated from Fjord Schlei in the Baltic Sea

Abstract

Abstract The flame-like reddish to orange-pigmented planctomycetal strain SH139 T was isolated from brackish water obtained from Fjord Schlei in Northern Germany as part of an isolation effort led by Heinz Schlesner at Kiel University between the 1980s and early 2000s. Single gene- and whole genome-based analyses employing five established phylogenetic markers indicate that the novel isolate constitutes a novel genus and species within the family Pirellulaceae in the phylum Planctomycetota . The strain is aerobic, heterotrophic, mesophilic, and exhibits neutrophilic to slight alkaliphilic properties. Its genome size and DNA G + C content of 7.8 Mb and 55.8%, respectively, are comparable to the current closest relatives. The results of the phenotypic and phylogenetic analyses are supported by comprehensive comparative genomic data, including pangenome reconstruction and profiling of carbohydrate-active enzymes and biosynthetic gene clusters. We thus introduce Kothea flammea gen. nov., sp. nov., that is constituted by the here characterized isolate SH139 T (= KCTC 102020 T  = DSM 116129 T ) as type strain. The novel genus is named after Prof. Erika Kothe (Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany) in recognition of her pioneering work on microbial communication.