Jang-Cheon Cho

Croceibacter atlanticus gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel marine bacterium in the family flavobacteriaceae

A bright, saffron-colored marine bacterium HTCC2559T was isolated from the Bermuda Atlantic Time Series station in the western Sargasso Sea, Atlantic Ocean by high throughput culturing methods and characterized by polyphasic approaches. Phenotypic data and phylogenetic analyses showed that the strain is a member of the family Flavobacteriaceae. The strain was gram-negative, non-motile, chemoheterotrophic, strictly aerobic, NaCl-requiring, rod-shaped cells that contain carotenoid pigments but not flexirubin. Several kinds of macromolecules (gelatin, DNA, starch, casein, and elastin) were degraded and carbohydrates, sugar alcohols, organic acids, and amino acids were utilized as sole carbon sources. The dominant fatty acids were branched or hydroxy acids, and 3-OH i17:0, i15:0, i15:1, and i17:1 omega9c were abundant. The DNA G+C content of the strain is 34.8 mol%. Phylogenetic analyses using three treeing algorithms based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that the strain formed a very distinct lineage that is allied closely with several seawater environmental clones in the family Flavobacteriaceae. Therefore, it is proposed from the polyphasic studies that strain HTCC2559T (=ATCC BAA-628T = KCTC 12090T) belongs to a new genus and species named Croceibacter atlanticus gen. nov., sp. nov.

Genome Sequence of Lentisphaera araneosa HTCC2155T, the Type Species of the Order Lentisphaerales in the Phylum Lentisphaerae

Information on the genome content of deeply branching phyla with very few cultured members is invaluable for expanding understanding of microbial evolution. Lentisphaera araneosa HTCC2155(T) was isolated from the Oregon coast using dilution-to-extinction culturing. It is a marine heterotroph found in surface and mesopelagic waters in both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and has the unusual property of producing a net-like matrix of secreted exopolysaccharide. Here we present the genome sequence of L. araneosa HTCC2155(T), importantly, one of only two sequenced members of the phylum Lentisphaerae.

Genome Sequences of Oceanicola granulosus HTCC2516T and Oceanicola batsensis HTCC2597T

Genome sequences from the prolific Roseobacter clade in the Alphaproteobacteria are beginning to reveal the genetic basis for the diverse lifestyles of these organisms. Here we present the genome sequences of Oceanicola granulosus HTCC2516(T) and Oceanicola batsensis HTCC2597(T), two marine Roseobacter species isolated from the Sargasso Sea using dilution-to-extinction culturing, whose genomes encode for significant differences in metabolic potential.