Pseudomonas endophytica sp. nov., isolated from stem tissue of Solanum tuberosum L. in Spain.

A bacterial strain named BSTT44(T) was isolated in the course of a study of endophytic bacteria occurring in stems and roots of potato growing in a soil from Salamanca, Spain. The 16S rRNA gene sequence had 99.7% identity with respect to that of its closest relative, Pseudomonas psychrophila E-3T, and the next most closely related type strains were those of Pseudomonas fragi, with 99.6% similarity, Pseudomonas deceptionensis, with 99.2% similarity, and Pseudomonas lundensis, with 99.0% similarity; these results indicate that BSTT44(T) should be classified within the genus Pseudomonas. Analysis of the housekeeping genes rpoB, rpoD and gyrB confirmed its phylogenetic affiliation and showed identities lower than 92% in all cases with respect to the above-mentioned closest relatives. Cells of the strain bore one polar-subpolar flagellum. The respiratory quinone was Q-9.The major fatty acids were C16:0, C18:1ω7c and summed feature 3 (C16:1ω7c and/or C16:1ω6c). The strain was oxidase-, catalase- and urease-positive and the arginine dihydrolase system was present, but tests for nitrate reduction, β-galactosidase production and aesculin hydrolysis were negative. It could grow at 35 °C and at pH 5-9.The DNA G+C content was 60.2 mol%. DNA-DNA hybridization results showed less than 48% relatedness with respect to the type strains of the four most closely related species. Therefore, the combined results of genotypic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic analyses support the classification of strain BSTT44 into a novel species of the genus Pseudomonas, for which the name Pseudomonas endophytica sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is BSTT44(T) ( = LMG 28456(T) = CECT 8691(T)).