Micromonospora zeae sp. nov., a novel endophytic actinomycete isolated from corn root (Zea mays L.).

A novel actinomycete, designated strain NEAU-gq9(T), was isolated from corn root (Zea mays L.) and characterized using a polyphasic approach. The organism was found to have morphological and chemotaxonomic characteristics typical of the genus Micromonospora. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity studies, strain NEAU-gq9(T) was most closely related to Micromonospora zamorensis CR38(T) (99.3%), Micromonospora jinlongensis NEAU-GRX11(T) (99.2%), Micromonospora saelicesensis Lupac 09(T) (99.2%), Micromonospora chokoriensis 2-19(6)(T) (98.9%), Micromonospora coxensis 2-30-b(28)(T) (98.6%) and Micromonospora lupini Lupac 14N(T) (98.5%). Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene and gyrB gene demonstrated that strain NEAU-gq9(T) is a member of the genus Micromonospora and supported the closest phylogenetic relationship to M. zamorensis CR38(T), M. jinlongensis NEAU-GRX11(T), M. saelicesensis Lupac 09(T), M. chokoriensis 2-19(6)(T) and M. lupini Lupac 14N(T). A combination of DNA-DNA hybridization, morphological and physiological characteristics indicated that the novel strain could be readily distinguished from the closest phylogenetic relatives. Therefore, it is proposed that strain NEAU-gq9(T) represents a novel species of the genus Micromonospora, for which the name Micromonospora zeae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is NEAU-gq9(T) (=CGMCC 4.7092(T)=DSM 45882(T)).