Thermincola ferriacetica sp nov., a new anaerobic, thermophilic, facultatively chemolithoautotrophic bacterium capable of dissimilatory Fe(III) reduction

A moderately thermophilic, sporeforming bacterium able to reduce amorphous Fe(III)-hydroxide was isolated from ferric deposits of a terrestrial hydrothermal spring, Kunashir Island (Kurils), and designated as strain Z-0001. Cells of strain Z-0001 were straight, Gram-positive rods, slowly motile. Strain Z-0001 was found to be an obligate anaerobe. It grew in the temperature range from 45 to 70 degrees C with an optimum at 57-60 degrees C, in a pH range from 5.9 to 8.0 with an optimum at 7.0-7.2, and in NaCl concentration range 0-3.5% with an optimum at 0%. Molecular hydrogen, acetate, peptone, yeast and beef extracts, glycogen, glycolate, pyruvate, betaine, choline, N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and casamino acids were used as energy substrates for growth in presence of Fe(III) as an electron acceptor. Sugars did not support growth. Magnetite, Mn(IV) and anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate served as the alternative electron acceptors, supporting the growth of isolate Z-0001 with acetate as electron donor. Formation of magnetite was observed when amorphous Fe(III) hydroxide was used as electron acceptor. Yeast extract, if added, stimulated growth, but was not required. Isolate Z-0001 was able to grow chemolithoautotrophicaly with molecular hydrogen as the only energy substrate, Fe(III) as electron acceptor and CO2 as the carbon source. Isolate Z-0001 was able to grow with 100% CO as the sole energy source, producing H-2 and CO2, requiring the presence of 0.2 g l(-1) of acetate as the carbon source. The G + C content of strain Z-0001T DNA G + C was 47.8 mol%. Based on 16S rRNA sequence analyses strain Z-0001 fell into the cluster of family Peptococcaceae, within the low G + C content Gram-Positive bacteria, clustering with Thermincola carboxydophila (98% similarity). DNA-DNA hybridization with T. carboxydophila was 27%. On the basis of physiological and phylogenetic data it is proposed that strain Z-0001(T) (=DSMZ 14005, VKM B-2307) should be placed in the genus Thermincola as a new species Thermincola ferriacetica sp. nov.