Intracellular vincristine levels in lymphoblasts affect treatment outcome in childhood B-lymphoblastic leukaemia: Ma-Spore ALL 2010 study.

AIMS: Vincristine (VCR) is a key drug in the successful multidrug chemotherapy for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). However, it remains unclear how VCR pharmacokinetics affects its antileukaemic efficacy. The objective of this study is to explore the VCR pharmacokinetic parameters and intracellular VCR levels in an up-front window of Ma-Spore ALL 2010 (MS2010) study. METHODS: We randomised 429 children with newly diagnosed ALL to 15-minute vs 3-hour infusion for the first dose of VCR to study if prolonging the first dose of VCR infusion improved response. In a subgroup of 115 B-ALL and 20 T-ALL patients, we performed VCR plasma (n = 135 patients) and intracellular (n = 66 patients) pharmacokinetic studies. The correlations between pharmacokinetic parameters and intracellular VCR levels with early treatment response, final outcome and ABCB1 genotypes were analysed. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between 15-minute and 3-hour infusion schedules in median Day 8 peripheral or bone marrow blast response. Plasma VCR pharmacokinetic parameters did not predict outcome. However, in B-ALL, Day 33 minimal residual disease (MRD) negative patients and patients in continuous complete remission had significantly higher median intracellular VCR24h levels (P = .03 and P = .04, respectively). The median VCR24h intracellular levels were similar among the common genetic subtypes of ALL (P = .4). Patients homozygous for wild-type ABCB1 2677GG had significantly higher median intracellular VCR24h (P = .04) than 2677TT. CONCLUSION: We showed that in childhood B-ALL, the intracellular VCR24h levels in lymphoblasts affected treatment outcomes. The intracellular VCR24h level was independent of leukaemia subtype but dependent on host ABCB1 G2677T genotype.

Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for inborn errors of immunity: 25-year experience from University of Malaya Medical Centre, Malaysia.

AIM: Inborn errors of immunity (IEI) comprise a heterogeneous group of disorders of the immune system, most of which are curable by haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We present a 25-year audit of HSCT for IEI at a tertiary-level academic hospital in Malaysia. METHODS: Review of medical records of all cases of IEI who underwent HSCT between January 1993 and December 2018 at our centre. Diagnoses, complications, HSCT protocols and outcome data were studied. RESULTS: There were 20 patients (19 boys) with a median age at diagnosis of 11 months (range: 2 months to 12 years). Eleven of 19 (58%) had malnutrition at presentation. Donor sources were variable: 13 (65%) matched sibling donor (MSD), 4 (20%) human leukocyte antigen-haploidentical donor (HD) and 3 (15%) matched unrelated donor (MUD). Conditioning regimens were physician-dependent and adapted to each patient's clinical status. Grades III-IV acute graft-versus-host disease occurred in two of three cases who received MUD grafts, 50% in those who received HD, and 8% in the MSD group. Transplant-related mortality at day +100 was 5%. With a median follow-up of 7.5 years, 18 (90%) patients are alive and free of infections. CONCLUSION: Outcome of HSCT for IEI in our centre is comparable with international reports. HSCT results using HD and MUD grafts are also good despite challenges from acute graft-versus-host disease, providing a feasible alternative for patients without matched donors.

Effective Response Metric: a novel tool to predict relapse in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia using time-series gene expression profiling.

Accurate risk assignment in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is essential to avoid under- or over-treatment. We hypothesized that time-series gene expression profiles (GEPs) of bone marrow samples during remission-induction therapy can measure the response and be used for relapse prediction. We computed the time-series changes from diagnosis to Day 8 of remission-induction, termed Effective Response Metric (ERM-D8) and tested its ability to predict relapse against contemporary risk assignment methods, including National Cancer Institutes (NCI) criteria, genetics and minimal residual disease (MRD). ERM-D8 was trained on a set of 131 patients and validated on an independent set of 79 patients. In the independent blinded test set, unfavourable ERM-D8 patients had >3-fold increased risk of relapse compared to favourable ERM-D8 (5-year cumulative incidence of relapse 38·1% vs. 10·6%; P = 2·5 × 10-3 ). ERM-D8 remained predictive of relapse [P = 0·05; Hazard ratio 4·09, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·03-16·23] after adjusting for NCI criteria, genetics, Day 8 peripheral response and Day 33 MRD. ERM-D8 improved risk stratification in favourable genetics subgroups (P = 0·01) and Day 33 MRD positive patients (P = 1·7 × 10-3 ). We conclude that our novel metric - ERM-D8 - based on time-series GEP after 8 days of remission-induction therapy can independently predict relapse even after adjusting for NCI risk, genetics, Day 8 peripheral blood response and MRD.

Pediatric Vaginal Yolk Sac Tumor: Reappraisal of Treatment Strategy in a Rare Tumor at a Unique Location.

Review of the management of 6 young girls with vaginal yolk sac tumor over 25 years showed that the α-fetoprotein levels normalized in 5/6 within 4 cycles of primary cisplatin, bleomycin, etoposide (PEB)/carboplatin, etoposide, bleomycin (JEB)/cisplatin, vinblastine, bleomycin (PVB) chemotherapy. Radioimaging revealed residual tissue but viable tumor was found in only 1 of 2 biopsied. Resection/biopsy is necessary to avoid giving additional primary chemotherapy or to identify patients who need different treatment. If markers do not decay appropriately, PEB/JEB/PVB chemotherapy should not be continued. Taxol-containing salvage chemotherapy regimens, adjuvant modern radiotherapeutic treatment, and fertility-saving curative surgery should then be considered. Despite having mostly advanced disease, 5/6 patients were cured, 2 with chemotherapy alone.

Urinary perchlorate exposure and risk in women of reproductive age in a fireworks production area of China.

Perchlorate is used widely in fireworks, and, if ingested, it has the potential to disrupt thyroid function. The concentrations of perchlorate in water and soil samples and in urine samples of women of reproductive age from Liuyang, the largest fireworks production area in China, were investigated. The results showed that the average perchlorate concentrations in groundwater, surface water, farmland soil, and urine samples of women from the fireworks production area were significantly greater than those from the control area. The health risk of perchlorate ingested through drinking water was assessed based on the mode recommended by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The values of hazard quotient of river water and groundwater in the fireworks production area were much greater than the safe level (=1), which indicates that adverse health effects may result from perchlorate when these sources of water are used as drinking water. These results indicated that the environment of the fireworks production area has been polluted by perchlorate and that residents were and are facing greater exposure doses of perchlorate. Fireworks production enterprises may be a major source of perchlorate contamination.

Actinoallomurus acanthiterrae sp. nov., an actinomycete isolated from rhizosphere soil of the mangrove plant Acanthus ilicifolius.

A novel actinobacterium strain, 2614A723(T), was isolated from rhizosphere soil of mangrove plant Acanthus ilicifolius collected at Touyuan, Wenchang, Hainan province, China. A phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain 2614A723(T) formed a distinct phyletic line in the genus Actinoallomurus, the 16S rRNA gene tree sharing similarities of 98.35%, 98.07% and 97.86% with Actinoallomurus spadix NBRC 14099(T), Actinoallomurus purpureus TTN02-30(T) and Actinoallomurus luridus TT02-15(T), respectively. Strain 2614A723(T) contained lysine and meso-diaminopimelic acid in the cell wall peptidoglycan and madurose, galactose and xylose in the whole-cell sugars. The predominant menaquinones were MK-9(H4) and MK-9(H6). The major polar phospholipids were phosphatidylglycerol and diphosphatidylglycerol. The predominant fatty acids were iso-C16 : 0 and anteiso-C17 : 0. These chemotaxonomic data confirmed the affiliation of strain 2614A723(T) to the genus Actinoallomurus. It is apparent from the combined phenotypic data, biochemical tests and DNA-DNA hybridization values that strain 2614A723(T) should be classified in the genus Actinoallomurus as a representative of a novel species. The name Actinoallomurus acanthiterrae sp. nov. is proposed with strain 2614A723(T) ( = CCTCC AA 2012001(T) = DSM 45727(T)) as the type strain.

Barrientosiimonas humi gen. nov., sp. nov., an actinobacterium of the family Dermacoccaceae.

Three novel actinobacteria, strains 39(T), 40 and 41, were isolated from soil collected from Barrientos Island in the Antarctic. The taxonomic status of these strains was determined using a polyphasic approach. Comparison of 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain 39(T) represented a novel lineage within the family Dermacoccaceae and was most closely related to members of the genera Demetria (96.9 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity), Branchiibius (95.7 %), Dermacoccus (94.4-95.3 %), Calidifontibacter (94.6 %), Luteipulveratus (94.3 %), Yimella (94.2 %) and Kytococcus (93.1 %). Cells were irregular cocci and short rods. The peptidoglycan type was A4α with an L-Lys-L-Ser-D-Asp interpeptide bridge. The cell-wall sugars were galactose and glucose. The major menaquinone was MK-8(H(4)). The polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, phosphoglycolipid, two glycolipids and one unknown phospholipid. The acyl type of the cell-wall polysaccharide was N-acetyl. The major cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C(17 : 0) (41.97 %), anteiso-C(17 : 1)ω9c (32.16 %) and iso-C(16 : 0) (7.68 %). The DNA G+C content of strain 39(T) was 68.4 mol%. On the basis of phylogenetic and phenotypic differences from other genera of the family Dermacoccaceae, a novel genus and species, Barrientosiimonas humi gen. nov., sp. nov., is proposed; the type strain of the type species is 39(T) (=CGMCC 4.6864(T) = DSM 24617(T)).

Anthracycline-Free Protocol for Favorable-Risk Childhood ALL: A Noninferiority Comparison Between Malaysia-Singapore ALL 2003 and ALL 2010 Studies.

PURPOSE: To investigate whether, for children with favorable-risk B-cell precursor ALL (BCP-ALL), an anthracycline-free protocol is noninferior to a modified Berlin-Frankfurt-Muenster ALL-IC2002 protocol, which includes 120 mg/m2 of anthracyclines. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Three hundred sixty-nine children with favorable-risk BCP-ALL (age 1-9 years, no extramedullary disease, and no high-risk genetics) who cleared minimal residual disease (≤0.01%) at the end of remission induction were enrolled into Ma-Spore (MS) ALL trials. One hundred sixty-seven standard-risk (SR) patients (34% of Malaysia-Singapore ALL 2003 study [MS2003]) were treated with the MS2003-SR protocol and received 120 mg/m2 of anthracyclines during delayed intensification while 202 patients (42% of MS2010) received an anthracycline-free successor protocol. The primary outcome was a noninferiority margin of 1.15 in 6-year event-free survival (EFS) between the MS2003-SR and MS2010-SR cohorts. RESULTS: The 6-year EFS of MS2003-SR and MS2010-SR (anthracycline-free) cohorts was 95.2% ± 1.7% and 96.5% ± 1.5%, respectively (P = .46). The corresponding 6-year overall survival was 97.6% and 99.0% ± 0.7% (P = .81), respectively. The cumulative incidence of relapse was 3.6% and 2.6%, respectively (P = .42). After adjustment for race, sex, age, presenting WBC, day 8 prednisolone response, and favorable genetic subgroups, the hazard ratio for MS2010-SR EFS was 0.98 (95% CI, 0.84 to 1.14; P = .79), confirming noninferiority. Compared with MS2003-SR, MS2010-SR had significantly lower episodes of bacteremia (30% v 45.6%; P = .04) and intensive care unit admissions (1.5% v 9.5%; P = .004). CONCLUSION: In comparison with MS2003-SR, the anthracycline-free MS2010-SR protocol is not inferior and was less toxic as treatment for favorable-risk childhood BCP-ALL.

Analysis of 120 pediatric patients with nonmalignant disorders transplanted using unrelated plasma-depleted or -reduced cord blood.

BACKGROUND: Unrelated cord blood (CB) is an important stem cell source for unrelated hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) of patients with nonmalignant disorders. Processing methods to prepare red blood cell-reduced CB units incur significant nucleated cell loss. In contrast, plasma depletion or reduction (PDR) processing of CB units entails the removal of only a portion of the plasma with minimal nucleated cell loss. However, there are relatively limited data regarding outcomes of CB transplants using units processed by PDR. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR)-audited analysis was performed on 120 pediatric patients with nonmalignant disorders transplanted between November 2001 and January 2008 at 29 US and 17 international centers using PDR CB units from two CB banks. RESULTS: Transplant characteristics were as follows: median age, 3.5 years (range, 0.1-14 years); median patient weight, 15 kg (range, 4-61 kg); 58% male; HLA matches (intermediate-resolution HLA-A and HLA-B and high-resolution HLA-DRB1) of the units used in these patients six of six in 26, five of six in 48, four of six in 47, and three of six or two of six in 6; median prefreeze total nucleated cell dose, 10.5×10(7)/kg; median prefreeze CD34+ dose, 3.7×10(5)/kg; and nonmyeloablative regimen in 24%. The median times to myeloid and platelet engraftment were 21 and 49 days, respectively. The cumulative incidence of reported Grade II to IV acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) was 38±5%, and 19±4% had Grade III to IV aGVHD. The Kaplan-Meier estimates of 3-year transplant-related mortality, overall survival, and disease-free survival were 20±4, 79±4, and 70±6%, respectively. CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate the effectiveness of PDR CB units for HCT.

Streptomyces qinglanensis sp. nov., isolated from mangrove sediment.

A Streptomyces-like strain, 172205(T), was obtained from mangrove soil collected at Qinglan Harbour, Wenchang, Hainan, China. The strain was characterized by white aerial mycelium and long spore chains. Comparison of 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the strain represents a novel member of the genus Streptomyces, exhibiting highest levels of similarity (<98.29%) to the type strains of members of the genus Streptomyces. However, DNA-DNA relatedness and phenotypic data readily distinguished strain 172205(T) from phylogenetically related type strains. The predominant menaquinones were MK-9(H(6)) and MK-9(H(8)). The major fatty acids were iso-C(15:0) (10.31%), anteiso-C(15:0) (35.19%), iso-C(16:0) (20.24%) and anteiso-C(17:0) (10.05%). The diagnostic phospholipid was phosphatidylethanolamine. The cell wall contained ll-diaminopimelic acid and meso-diaminopimelic acid and whole-cell hydrolysates contained ribose, galactose and glucose. The results of DNA-DNA hybridization, physiological and biochemical tests allowed the genotypic and phenotypic differentiation of strain 172205(T) from phylogenetically related type strains. Therefore, strain 172205(T) is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Streptomyces, for which the name Streptomyces qinglanensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 172205(T) (=CGMCC 4.6825(T) =DSM 42035(T)).

Microbispora hainanensis sp. nov., isolated from rhizosphere soil of Excoecaria agallocha in a mangrove.

Strain 211020(T) was isolated from rhizosphere soil of Excoecaria agallocha in a mangrove in Hainan, China. The strain produced longitudinal pair spores branching from aerial hyphae. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that the isolate belonged to the genus Microbispora, exhibiting the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity (98.75 %) to Microbispora corallina JCM 10267(T) with a low DNA-DNA relatedness value (13 ± 0.6 %). The isolate contained meso-diaminopimelic acid as the diagnostic diamino acid but madurose was not detected. The predominant menaquinones were MK-9(H(4)), MK-9(H(2)) and MK-9(H(0)), and the major fatty acids were iso-C(16 : 0), iso-C(15 : 0) and C(17 : 0). The phospholipid profile of strain 211020(T) comprised phosphatidylinositol mannoside, phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol and phospholipids of unknown structure containing glucosamine. The DNA G+C content was 70.8 mol%. On the basis of phenotypic and genotypic data, strain 211020(T) can be distinguished as a novel species of the genus Microbispora, for which the name Microbispora hainanensis sp. nov., is proposed. The type strain is 211020(T) ( = CGMCC 4.5595(T) = DSM 45428(T)).

Verrucosispora wenchangensis sp. nov., isolated from mangrove soil.

An actinomycete strain 234402(T) was isolated from a mangrove soil sample collected in Wenchang, China. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain 234402(T) indicated that the highest similarity was to Verrucosispora sediminis MS426(T) (99.25%). The cell wall contained meso-diaminopimelic acid. The major menaquinones were MK-9(H(4)) and MK-9(H(6)), with MK-9(H(8)) as minor components. The characteristic whole-cell sugars were xylose, mannose and glucose. The phospholipid profile was found to comprise phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol mannoside and an unknown phospholipid. The DNA G+C content was 69.2 mol%. The results of physiological and biochemical tests and low DNA-DNA relatedness demonstrated strain 234402(T) could be readily distinguished from the closely related Verrucosispora species. On the basis of these phenotypic and genotypic data, strain 234402(T) represents a novel species of the genus Verrucosispora, for which the name Verrucosispora wenchangensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 234402(T) (=CCTCC AA 2011018(T)=DSM 45674(T)).

Micromonospora haikouensis sp. nov., isolated from mangrove soil.

An actinomycete strain 232617(T) was isolated from a composite mangrove sediment sample collected in Haikou, China. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain 232617(T) indicated the highest similarity with Micromonospora siamensis TT2-4(T) (99.05%), Micromonospora krabiensis A-2(T) (98.99%) and Micromonospora carbonacea DSM 43815(T) (98.91%). The gyrB gene sequence analysis also indicated that 232617(T) should be assigned to the genus Micromonospora. The cell wall contains meso-DAP and glycine. The major menaquinones were MK-10(H(4)) and MK-10(H(6)), with MK-9(H(4)) as minor components. The characteristic whole-cell sugars are xylose, arabinose and glucose. The phospholipid profile comprises phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidlglycerol and phosphatidylinositol mannoside. The DNA G+C content is 71.5 mol%. Furthermore, a combination of DNA-DNA relatedness and some physiological and biochemical properties indicated that the novel strain could be readily distinguished from the closest related species. On the basis of these phenotypic and genotypic data, strain 232617(T) represents a novel species of the genus Micromonospora, for which the name Micromonospora haikouensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 232617(T) (= CCTCC AA 201112 (T) = DSM 45626 (T)).

Molecular characterization of Antarctic actinobacteria and screening for antimicrobial metabolite production.

The present study aimed to isolate actinobacteria from soil samples and characterized them using molecular tools and screened their secondary metabolites for antimicrobial activities. Thirty-nine strains from four different location of Barrientos Island, Antarctica using 12 types of isolation media was isolated. The isolates were preceded to screening of secondary metabolites for antimicrobial and antifungal activities. Using high-throughput screening methods, 38% (15/39) of isolates produced bioactive metabolites. Approximately 18% (7/39), 18% (7/39), 10% (4/39) and 2.5% (1/39) of isolates inhibited growth of Candida albicans ATCC 10231(T), Staphylococcus aurues ATCC 51650(T), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aurues (MRSA) ATCC BAA-44(T) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 10145(T), respectively. Molecular characterization techniques like 16S rRNA analysis, Enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-polymerase chain reaction (ERIC-PCR), Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and composite analyses were used to characterize the actinobacteria strains. Analysis of 16S rRNA sequences is still one of the most powerful methods to determine higher taxonomic relationships of Actinobacteria. Both RAPD and ERIC-PCR fingerprinting have shown good discriminatory capability but RAPD proved to be better in discriminatory power than ERIC-PCR. Our results demonstrated that composite analysis of both fingerprinting generally increased the discrimination ability and generated best clustering for actinobacteria strains in this study.

Association of Genetic Ancestry With the Molecular Subtypes and Prognosis of Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

IMPORTANCE: Racial and ethnic disparities persist in the incidence and treatment outcomes of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). However, there is a paucity of data describing the genetic basis of these disparities, especially in association with modern ALL molecular taxonomy and in the context of contemporary treatment regimens. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of genetic ancestry with childhood ALL molecular subtypes and outcomes of modern ALL therapy. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This multinational, multicenter genetic association study was conducted from March 1, 2000, to November 20, 2020, among 2428 children and adolescents with ALL enrolled in frontline trials from the United States, South East Asia (Singapore and Malaysia), and Latin America (Guatemala), representing diverse populations of European, African, Native American, East Asian, and South Asian descent. Statistical analysis was conducted from February 3, 2020, to April 19, 2021. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Molecular subtypes of ALL and genetic ancestry were comprehensively characterized by performing RNA sequencing. Associations of genetic ancestries with ALL molecular subtypes and treatment outcomes were then evaluated. RESULTS: Among the participants in the study, 1340 of 2318 (57.8%) were male, and the mean (SD) age was 7.8 (5.3) years. Of 21 ALL subtypes identified, 8 were associated with ancestry. East Asian ancestry was positively associated with the frequency of somatic DUX4 (odds ratio [OR], 1.30 [95% CI, 1.16-1.45]; P < .001) and ZNF384 (OR, 1.40 [95% CI, 1.18-1.66]; P < .001) gene rearrangements and negatively associated with BCR-ABL1-like ALL (OR, 0.79 [95% CI, 0.66-0.92]; P = .002) and T-cell ALL (OR, 0.80 [95% CI, 0.71-0.90]; P < .001). By contrast, occurrence of CRLF2 rearrangements was associated with Native American ancestry (OR, 1.48 [95% CI, 1.29-1.69]; P < .001). When the percentage of Native American ancestry increased, ETV6-RUNX1 fusion became less frequent (OR, 0.80 [95% CI, 0.70-0.91]; P < .001), with the opposite trend observed for ETV6-RUNX1-like ALL. There was a marked preponderance of T-cell ALL in children of African descent compared with those with a high percentage of Native American ancestry (African: OR, 1.22 [95% CI, 1.07-1.37]; P = .003; Native American: OR, 0.53 [95% CI, 0.40-0.67]; P < .001). African ancestry was also positively associated with the prevalence of TCF3-PBX1 (OR, 1.49 [95% CI, 1.25-1.76]; P < .001) and negatively associated with DUX4 rearrangements (OR, 0.70 [95% CI, 0.48-0.93]; P = .01) and hyperdiploidy (OR, 0.77 [95% CI, 0.68-0.86]; P < .001). African and Native American ancestries as continuous variables were both associated with poorer event-free survival (for every 25% increase in ancestry: hazard ratio [HR], 1.2; 95% CI, 1.1-1.4; P = .001 for African ancestry; HR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.0-1.6; P = .04 for Native American ancestry) and overall survival (for every 25% increase in ancestry: HR, 1.2; 95% CI, 1.1-1.5; P = .01 for African ancestry; HR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.0-1.8; P = .03 for Native American ancestry). Even after adjusting for biological subtypes and clinical features, Native American and African ancestries remained associated with poor prognosis. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This study suggests that ALL molecular subtypes and prognosis are associated with genetic ancestry, potentially pointing to a genetic basis for some of the racial and ethnic disparities in ALL. Therefore, molecular subtype-driven treatment individualization is needed to help address racial and ethnic gaps in outcomes.

Micromonospora rhizosphaerae sp. nov., isolated from mangrove rhizosphere soil.

Strain 211018(T) was isolated from mangrove Excocaria agallocha rhizosphere soil. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed the highest similarity to the type strains of Micromonospora olivasterospora DSM 43868(T) (98.6 %) and Micromonospora pattaloongensis TJ2-2(T) (98.4 %). gyrB gene sequence analysis also indicated that strain 211018(T) should be assigned to the genus Micromonospora. The characteristic whole-cell sugars are xylose, mannose and arabinose. The predominant menaquinone is MK-9(H(4)) and the major fatty acids are iso-C(15 : 0) (27.5 %), 10-methyl C(17 : 0) (14.2 %), C(17 : 1)ω8c (12.8 %), iso-C(16 : 0) (12.6 %), anteiso-C(15 : 0) (6.1 %), iso-C(17 : 0) (4.1 %) and anteiso-C(17 : 0) (4.0 %). The phospholipid profile comprises phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylinositol mannosides. The DNA G+C content is 70.8 mol%. The chemotaxonomic data of the strain coincided with those of the genus Micromonospora. Furthermore, a combination of DNA-DNA hybridization results and some physiological and biochemical properties indicated that the novel strain could be readily distinguished from the closest phylogenetic relatives. On the basis of these phenotypic and genotypic data, strain 211018(T) represents a novel species of the genus Micromonospora, for which the name Micromonospora rhizosphaerae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 211018(T) (=CGMCC 4.5599(T) =DSM 45431(T)).

Jishengella endophytica gen. nov., sp. nov., a new member of the family Micromonosporaceae.

A novel endophytic actinomycete, designated strain 202201(T), was isolated from an Acanthus illicifolius root collected from the mangrove reserve zone in Hainan Province, China. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences suggested that strain 202201(T) fell within the family Micromonosporaceae. The strain formed an extensively branched substrate mycelium, which carried uneven warty-surfaced spores. Cell walls of strain 202201(T) contained meso-diaminopimelic acid and xylose, mannose, arabinose, ribose and glucose were detected as whole-cell sugars. The acyl type of the cell-wall polysaccharides was glycolyl. The major menaquinones were MK-9(H(4)), MK-9(H(6)), MK-9(H(8)) and MK-10(H(4)). The polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol mannoside and phosphatidylserine. The major cellular fatty acids were 10-methyl-C(17 : 0), iso-C(15 : 0), iso-C(16 : 0) and C(17 : 1)ω8c. The DNA G+C content was 72.3 mol%. On the basis of the morphological and chemotaxonomic characteristics, phylogenetic analysis and characteristic patterns of 16S rRNA gene signature nucleotides, strain 202201(T) ( = CGMCC 4.5597(T ) = DSM 45430(T)) represents a novel species of a new genus within the family Micromonosporaceae, for which the name Jishengella endophytica gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed.

Streptomyces sanyensis sp. nov., isolated from mangrove sediment.

A novel strain, 219820(T), whose metabolites were found to be active against tumour cells, was isolated and characterized. The isolate belonged to the genus Streptomyces and had white to grey aerial mycelium and long chains of smooth spores in the aerial mycelium. A phylogenetic tree based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain 219820(T) had highest similarity to members of the genus Streptomyces and was most closely, albeit loosely, associated with Streptomyces crystallinus NBRC 15401(T) (98.624 % similarity), Streptomyces melanogenes NBRC 12890(T) (98.565 %) and Streptomyces noboritoensis NBRC 13065(T) (98.564 %). However, DNA-DNA relatedness and phenotypic data readily distinguished strain 219820(T) from these phylogenetically related type strains. It is evident from the combination of genotypic and phenotypic data that strain 219820(T) represents a novel species of the genus Streptomyces, for which the name Streptomyces sanyensis sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is 219820(T) ( = CGMCC 4.5626(T)  = DSM 42014(T)).

Asanoa hainanensis sp. nov., isolated from rhizosphere soil of Acrostichum speciosum in a mangrove, and emended description of the genus Asanoa.

A Gram-reaction-positive, non-motile actinobacterium, designated strain 210121(T), was isolated from rhizosphere soil of the mangrove fern Acrostichum speciosum. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that the isolate belonged to the genus Asanoa. DNA-DNA relatedness values between strain 210121(T) and the type strains of the three recognized species of the genus Asanoa were below the 70 % threshold recommended for distinguishing bacterial genomic species. The novel isolate contained glutamic acid, glycine, alanine and meso-A(2)pm as cell-wall amino acids, indicating peptidoglycan type A1γ. The characteristic whole-cell sugars were xylose, ribose, glucose and mannose. The predominant menaquinones were MK-9(H(4)), MK-9(H(6)) and MK-9(H(8)). The major fatty acids were iso-C(16 : 0) (30.9 %), C(17 : 0) (23.0 %), anteiso-C(15 : 0) (14.9 %) and iso-C(15 : 0) (12.3 %). The phospholipid profile comprised phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol mannosides and phospholipids of unknown structure containing glucosamine. The G+C content of the DNA was 70.3 mol%. On the basis of the phenotypic and genotypic data, strain 210121(T) ( = CGMCC 4.5593(T)  = DSM 45427(T)) represents a novel species of the genus Asanoa, for which the name Asanoa hainanensis sp. nov., is proposed. An emended description of the genus Asanoa is also proposed.

Nonomuraea wenchangensis sp. nov., isolated from mangrove rhizosphere soil.

Strain 210417(T), which forms highly branched substrate and aerial mycelia, is a Gram-positive, aerobic and non-motile actinomycete isolated from mangrove rhizosphere soil. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that the strain should be classified in the genus Nonomuraea, being most closely related to the type strains of Nonomuraea coxensis (99.6 %) and Nonomuraea bangladeshensis (99.3 %). Chemotaxonomic properties [madurose as the major sugar in the cell wall; meso-diaminopimelic acid and N-acetylmuramic acid in the peptidoglycan; MK-9(H(4)) as the major menaquinone; iso-C(16 : 0) (24.1 %) as major fatty acid; and phospholipid pattern type IV] are consistent with the assignment of strain 210417(T) to the genus Nonomuraea. Strain 210417(T) could be differentiated from the closely related species N. coxensis and N. bangladeshensis by morphological, physiological, biochemical and chemotaxonomic properties, 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and DNA-DNA hybridization results. It is therefore proposed that strain 210417(T) represents a novel species of the genus Nonomuraea, for which the name Nonomuraea wenchangensis sp. nov. is given; the type strain is 210417(T) ( = CGMCC 4.5598(T)  = DSM 45477(T)).