Biodegradation of endosulfan, a chlorinated cyclodiene insecticide, is generally accompanied by production of the more toxic and more persistent metabolite, endosulfan sulfate. Since our reported endosulfan degrader, Klebsiella pneumoniae KE-1, failed to degrade endosulfan sulfate, we tried to isolate an endosulfan sulfate degrader from endosulfan-polluted soils. Through repetitive enrichment and successive subculture using mineral salt medium containing endosulfan or endosulfan sulfate as the sole source of carbon and energy, we isolated a bacterium capable of degrading endosulfan sulfate as well as endosulfan. The bacterium KE-8 was identified as Klebsiella oxytoca from the results of 16S rDNA sequence analysis. In biodegradation assays with KE-8 using mineral salt medium containing endosulfan (150 mg l(-1)) or endosulfan sulfate (173 mg l(-1)), the biomass was rapidly increased to an optical density at 550 nm of 1.9 in 4 days and the degradation constants for alpha- and beta-endosulfan, and endosulfan sulfate were 0.3084, 0.2983 and 0.2465 day(-1), respectively. Analysis of the metabolites further suggested that K. oxytoca KE-8 has high potential as a biocatalyst for bioremediation of endosulfan and/or endosulfan sulfate.

A Gram-negative-staining, non-motile rod, designated GG-w14 T , was isolated from the rhizosphere of Angelica polymorpha Maxim. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that the isolate belonged to the genus Mucilaginibacter and exhibited 93.9-97.4 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with recognized members of the genus Mucilaginibacter (closest relative Mucilaginibacter gossypii Gh-67 T ). DNA-DNA relatedness between strain GG-w14 T andM. gossypii KCTC 22380 T was ,41 %. Strain GG-w14 T grew at 4-35 6C, at pH 5.0-8.0 and with 0-1 % (w/v) NaCl. The isolate hydrolysed casein, CM-cellulose and starch and contained menaquinone 7 as the major menaquinone. The major cellular fatty acids were summed feature 3 (C 16 : 1 v7c and/or iso-C 15 : 0 2-OH; 39.9 %), iso-C 15 : 0 (24.2 %) and iso-C 17 : 0 3-OH (12.4 %). The DNA G+C content was 42.5 mol%. These data suggest that strain GG-w14 T should be considered as a representative of a novel species of the genus Mucilaginibacter, for which the name Mucilaginibacter angelicae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is GG-w14The genus Mucilaginibacter, a member of the family Sphingobacteriaceae, was originally proposed by Pankratov et al. A novel bacterial strain, designated GG-w14 T , was isolated from the rhizosphere of Angelica polymorpha Maxim, which is used as a medicinal herb in Korean traditional medicine (Heo, 1610). Samples of A. polymorpha Maxim. were collected at Chungcheongnam-Do, Republic of Korea. Rhizosphere soil collected from the plant roots was serially diluted with sterile 0.85 % (w/v) NaCl and dilutions were spread onto R2A agar (BD). Colonies were subcultivated to obtain pure cultures. Strain GG-w14 T was one of the isolates obtained. Cell morphology and size were observed using light microscopy (Eclipse 80i; Nikon) and transmission electron microscopy (model H-7600; Hitachi) from cells cultured for 2 days at 25 uC on R2A agar. Colony morphology was observed after culture on R2A agar for 3 days at 25 u C. Growth with 0, 1, 2 and 3 % (w/v) NaCl was determined in NB (BD). Growth at 4, 10, 15, 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45 u C was determined on NA (BD). Growth at pH 4.0-9.0 (in increments of 0.5 pH unit) was tested in pH-adjusted NB. Growth was measured spectrophotometrically at OD 600 using a DU 730 UV/Vis scanning spectrophotometer (Beckman Coulter). Unless otherwise stated, all physiological characteristics were tested with cells cultured on R2A agar under optimal growth conditions (25-30 u C and pH 6.0-7.0). A Gram-stain kit (BD) was used for Gramstaining and oxidase reagent (bioMérieux) was used for the measurement of oxidase activity. Catalase activity was determined by observing the production of oxygen bubbles with 3 % (v/v) hydrogen peroxide. Anaerobic growth was

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Strain S22(T), a novel cellulolytic bacterium was isolated from the rhizosphere of pine trees. This isolate was Gram-reaction positive, motile and rods, and formed terminal or subterminal ellipsoidal spores. S22(T) represented positive activity for catalase, oxidase, esterase (C4), esterase lipase (C8), beta-galactosidase, leucine arylamidase, and hydrolysis of esculin. It contained meso-diaminopimelic acid as the diagnostic dia-mino acid in the cell-wall. The predominant isoprenoid quinone was menaquinone 7 (MK-7), and the major cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C(15:0) (52.9%), iso-Ci(16:0) (11.3%), and iso-C(15:0) (10.0%). The DNA G+C content was 43.3 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that this isolate belonged to the family Paenibacillaceae. S22(T) exhibited less than 97.0% 16S rRNA gene similarity with all relative type strains in the genus Paenibacillus, and the most closely related strains were Paenibacillus anaericanus MH21(T) and Paenibacillus ginsengisoli Gsoil 1638(T), with equal similarities of 95.8%. This polyphasic evidence suggested that strain S22(T) should be considered a novel species in the genus Paenibacillus, for which the name, Paenibacillus pini sp. nov., is proposed. The type strain is S22(T) (=KCTC 13694(T) =KACC 14198(T) =JCM 16418(T)).

An aerobic, halotolerant, Gram-negative bacterium was isolated from the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius and subjected to taxonomic characterization. The strain, designated KMM 6042 T , was rod-shaped, motile and yellow-pigmented. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the strain was most closely related to the type strain of Altererythrobacter dongtanensis, and the level of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between the two was 99.0 %. However, the DNA-DNA relatedness between the two strains was 34.4±7.6 %. Physiological and chemotaxonomic properties clearly distinguished the novel strain from other species of the genus Altererythrobacter. It is thus evident from the phylogenetic and phenotypic analyses that strain KMM 6042T merits recognition as a novel species of the genus Altererythrobacter, for which the name Altererythrobacter troitsensis sp. nov. (type strain, KMM 6042 T 5KCTC 12303T 5JCM 17037 T ) is proposed.