Comparative genomics analysis of Nitriliruptoria reveals the genomic differences and salt adaptation strategies.

The group Nitriliruptoria, recently classified as a separate class of phylum Actinobacteria, has five members at present, which belong to halophilic or halotolerant Actinobacteria. Here, we sequenced the genomes of Egicoccus halophilus EGI 80432T and Egibacter rhizosphaerae EGI 80759T, and performed a comparative genomics approach to analyze the genomic differences and salt adaptation mechanisms in Nitriliruptoria. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that Euzebya tangerina F10T has a closer phylogenetic relationship to Euzebya rosea DSW09T, while genomic analysis revealed highest genomic similarity with Nitriliruptor alkaliphilus ANL-iso2T and E. halophilus EGI 80432T. Genomic differences of Nitriliruptoria were mainly observed in genome size, gene contents, and the amounts of gene in per functional categories. Furthermore, our analysis also revealed that Nitriliruptoria possess similar synthesis systems of solutes, such as trehalose, glutamine, glutamate, and proline. On the other hand, each member of Nitriliruptoria species possesses specific mechanisms, K+ influx and efflux, betaine and ectoine synthesis, and compatible solutes transport to survive in various high-salt environments.

Antiviral activity of porcine interferon omega 7 against foot-and-mouth disease virus in vitro.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a disease of worldwide economic importance, and vaccines play an important role in preventing FMDV outbreaks. However, new control strategies are still needed since FMDV outbreaks still occur in some disease-free countries. Currently, interferon (IFN)-based strategies have been demonstrated to be an efficient biotherapeutic option against FMDV; however, interferon omega (IFN-ω) has not yet been assessed in this capacity. Thus, this study evaluated the antiviral activity of porcine IFN omega 7 (PoIFN-ω7) against FMDV. After the PoIFN-ω7 was expressed and purified, cell proliferation assays and quantitative real-time reverse transciption-polymerase chain reaction were used to evaluate the effective anti-cytopathic concentration of PoIFN-ω7 and its effectiveness pre- and post-infection with FMDV in swine kidney cells (IBRS-2). Results showed the rHis-PoIFN-ω7 fusion protein was considerably expressed using Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) strain, and the recombinant protein exhibited significant in vitro protection against FMDV, including two strains belonging to type O and A FMDV, respectively. In addition, PoIFN-ω7 upregulated the transcription of Mx1, ISG15, OAS1, and PKR genes. These findings indicated that IFN-ω has the potential for serving as a useful therapeutic agent to prevent FMDV or other viral outbreaks in pigs.

Inhibitory effects of homoharringtonine on foot and mouth disease virus in vitro.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious disease that affects cloven-hoof animals including cattle, swine, sheep, goats, and lots of wild species. Effectively control measures are urged needed. Here, we showed that homoharringtonine treatment exhibited a strong inhibitory effect against two different strains of FMDVs (O/MYA98/BY/2010 and A/GD/MM/2013) in swine kidney (IBRS-2) cells. Further experiments demonstrated that homoharringtonine did not affect virus attachment or entry. Using time-of-addition assays, we found that the antiviral activity of homoharringtonine occurred primarily during the early stage of infection. These results demonstrated that homoharringtonine might be an effective anti-FMDV drug. Further studies are required to explore the antiviral activity of homoharringtonine against FMDV replication in vivo.

Antiviral effect of amiloride on replication of foot and mouth disease virus in cell culture.

Recently, amiloride was shown to potently suppress Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) replication. In the current study, we investigated whether amiloride could also exhibit antiviral activity against foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), which belongs to the same family (Picornaviridae) as CVB3. We found that amiloride exerted antiviral activity in a dose-dependent manner against two strains of FMDV in IBRS-2 cells, with slight cytotoxicity at 1000 µM. Besides, amiloride did not inhibit the attachment and entry of FMDV in IBRS-2 cells, but prevented early viral replication. These data implied that amiloride could be a promising candidate for further research as a potential antiviral drug against FMDV infection.

A novel type I interferon, interferon alphaomega, shows antiviral activity against foot-and-mouth disease virus in vitro.

Recently, a novel type I interferon alphaomega (IFN-αω), also known as IFN-µ, was identified. However, the biological activity of IFN-αω remain poorly understood. In this study, the porcine IFN-αω (PoIFN-αω) was expressed, purified, and its antiviral activities assessed by its ability to inhibit the cytopathic effect caused by FMDV on IBRS-2 cells. In addition, q-PCR was used to evaluate the expression of IFN-stimulated genes induced by PoIFN-αω. It was found that PoIFN-αω exerted effective antiviral activity against FMDV pre- and post-infection. Additionally, PoIFN-αω induced the transcription of IFN-stimulated genes, including Mx1, ISG15, OAS1, and PKR genes. Our study reported a new indication of PoIFN-αω as an effective anti-FMDV agent for the first time.

Nocardioides ferulae sp. nov., isolated from root of an endangered medicinal plant Ferula songorica Pall. ex Spreng.

A novel endophytic bacterium, designated strain SZ4R5S7T, was isolated from surface-sterilized root of an endangered medicinal plant (Ferula songorica Pall. ex Spreng) collected from Xinjiang, north-west China. The taxonomic position of the strain was investigated by using a polyphasic approach. The strain was found to be aerobic, Gram-stain-positive, oxidase-negative and catalase-positive, short rods and non-motile. Strain SZ4R5S7T grew at 4-37 °C (optimum, 28 °C), pH 5.0-9.0 (pH 6.0-8.0) and in the presence of 0-4 % (w/v) NaCl. The polar lipids detected for strain SZ4R5S7T were phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol and two unidentified lipids. The predominant menaquinone of strain SZ4R5S7T was MK-8(H4), and the major fatty acids were iso-C16 : 0 and anteiso-C14 : 0. The DNA G+C content was determined to be 72.4 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that strain SZ4R5S7T belongs to the genus Nocardioides and showed highest levels of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to members of the strain Nocardioideskribbensis KSL-2T (97.8 %). On the basis of phenotypic, genotypic and phylogenetic data, strain SZ4R5S7T represents a novel species in the genus Nocardioides, for which the name Nocardioides ferulae sp. nov. is proposed and the type strain is SZ4R5S7T (=CGMCC 4.7456T=KCTC 39994T).

Croceibacterium gen. nov., with description of Croceibacterium ferulae sp. nov., an endophytic bacterium isolated from Ferula sinkiangensis K. M. Shen and reclassification of Porphyrobacter mercurialis as Croceibacterium mercuriale comb. nov.

A novel endophytic bacterium, designated strain SX2RGS8T, was isolated from the surface-sterilized roots of an endangered medicinal plant (Ferula sinkiangensis K. M. Shen) collected from Xinjiang, north-western PR China. The taxonomic position of the candidate was investigated using a polyphasic approach. Strain SX2RGS8T was found to be aerobic, Gram-stain-negative, oxidase-negative, catalase-positive and axiolitic-shaped. Strain SX2RGS8T grew at 4-45 °C (optimum, 28 °C), pH 4.0-10.0 (pH 7.0) and in the presence of 0-5 % (w/v) NaCl. The polar lipids detected for strain SX2RGS8T were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol, unidentified phosphoglycolipids, an unidentified phospholipid and unidentified lipids. The major respiratory quinone of strain SX2RGS8T was ubiquinone 10 and the major fatty acid was summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c). The DNA G+C content was determined to be 66.5 mol%. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the isolate belonged to the family Erythrobacteraceae and showed 99.2 % (Porphyrobacter mercurialis), 95.5 % (Porphyrobacter donghaensisi) and 95.4 % (Porphyrobacter colymbi) similarities to its closest relatives. The isolate contained carotenoids, but no bacteriochlorophyll a. On the basis of phenotypic, genotypic and phylogenetic data, strain SX2RGS8T represents a novel species of a novel genus in the family Erythrobacteraceae, for which the name Croceibacterium ferulae gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SX2RGS8T (=CGMCC 1.16402T=KCTC 62090T). In addition, Porphyrobacter mercurialis Coil et al. 2016 is proposed to be transferred to this new genus as Croceibacterium mercuriale comb. nov.

In Vitro and in Vivo Antiviral Activity of Mizoribine Against Foot-And-Mouth Disease Virus.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals, which has significant economic consequences in affected countries. As the currently available vaccines against FMD provide no protection until 4-7 days post-vaccination, the only alternative method to control the spread of FMD virus (FMDV) during outbreaks is the application of antiviral agents. Hence, it is important to identify effective antiviral agents against FMDV infection. In this study, we found that mizoribine has potent antiviral activity against FMDV replication in IBRS-2 cells. A time-of-drug-addition assay demonstrated that mizoribine functions at the early stage of replication. Moreover, mizoribine also showed antiviral effect on FMDV in vivo. In summary, these results revealed that mizoribine could be a potential antiviral drug against FMDV.

Type I Interferons: Distinct Biological Activities and Current Applications for Viral Infection.

The interferons (IFNs) are a primary defense against pathogens because of the strong antiviral activities they induce. IFNs can be classified into three groups: type I, type II and type III, according to their genetic, structural, and functional characteristics and their receptors on the cell surface. The type I IFNs are the largest group and include IFN-α, IFN-ß, IFN-ε, IFN-ω, IFN-κ, IFN-δ, IFN-τ and IFN-ζ. The use of IFNs for the treatment of viral infectious diseases on their antiviral activity may become an important therapeutic option, for example, IFN-α is well known for the successful treatment of hepatitis B and C virus infections, and interest is increasing in the antiviral efficacy of other novel IFN classes and their potential applications. Therefore, in this review, we summarize the recent progress in the study of the biological activities of all the type I IFN classes and their potential applications in the treatment of infections with immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis viruses, and influenza viruses.

The program of antiviral agents inhibits virus infection.

Virus infections are the root cause of epidemics in the world. Vaccines and antiviral agents have been the two important methods to control viral diseases; in recent times, RNA-mediated therapeutics and prevention have received much attention. In this review, we provide an overview of the current information regarding the use of vaccines, antiviral agents, and RNA-mediated methods in controlling or preventing viral infections. We stress specifically on the potential of existing RNA-mediated methods in clinical applications.

Bacillus tamaricis sp. nov., an alkaliphilic bacterium isolated from a Tamarix cone soil.

A Gram-stain-positive, alkaliphilic bacterium, designated EGI 80668T, was isolated from a Tamarix cone soil in Xinjiang, north-west China. Cells were facultatively anaerobic, terminal endospore-forming and motile by means of peritrichous flagella. Colonies were yellowish and the cells showed oxidase-negative and catalase-positive reactions. Strain EGI 80668T grew at pH 8.0-10.0 and with 0-10 % (w/v) NaCl (optimally at pH 9.0 and with 1-2 % NaCl) on marine agar 2216. The predominant menaquinone was MK-7. The major fatty acids were anteiso-C17 : 0 and anteiso-C15 : 0. The cellular polar lipids contained diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, four unknown phospholipids and one unknown aminophospholipid. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 38.3 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain EGI 80668T was affiliated to the genus Bacillus. The highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between strain EGI 80668T and a member of the genus Bacillus was 96.83 % with Bacillus cellulosilyticus JCM 9156T. A polyphasic taxonomic study based on morphological, physiological, biochemical and phylogenetic data indicated that strain EGI 80668T represents a novel species of the genus Bacillus, for which the name Bacillus tamaricis sp. nov. (type strain EGI 80668T=KCTC 33703T=CGMCC 1.15917T) is proposed.

Glycomyces anabasis sp. nov., a novel endophytic actinobacterium isolated from roots of Anabasis aphylla L.

A novel endophytic actinobacterium, designated strain EGI 6500139T, was isolated from the surface-sterilized roots of Anabasis aphylla L., collected from Xinjiang, northwest PR China, and subjected to polyphasic taxonomic characterization. Strain EGI 6500139T formed sparse aerial mycelium with rod-like spores. Whole-cell hydrolysates of the isolate contained meso-diaminopimelic acid as the cell-wall diamino acid, glucose as major sugar, and mannose, galactose, xylose and ribose as minor sugars. The polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylinositol mannoside, one unidentified glycolipid, one unidentified phospholipid and four unidentified polar lipids. The major fatty acids identified were anteiso-C17 : 0, anteiso-C15 : 0, iso-C15 : 0 and iso-C16 : 0. The predominant menaquinones detected were MK-11 and MK-11(H2). The G+C content of the genomic DNA of strain EGI 6500139T was 70.4 mol%. Strain EGI 6500139T showed the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to Glycomyces lacisalsi XHU 5089T (96.3 %). Phylogenetic analysis showed that strain EGI 6500139T fell within the clade of the genus Glycomyces, and formed a clade with G. lacisalsi XHU 5089T and G. albus CCTCC AA 2013004T. Based on phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic data, strain EGI 6500139T represents a novel species of the genus Glycomyces, for which the name Glycomyces anabasis sp. nov. (type strain EGI 6500139T=JCM 30088T=KCTC 29495T) is proposed.

Lithium chloride inhibits early stages of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) replication in vitro.

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) causes an economically important and highly contagious disease of cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, swine, and sheep. FMD vaccine is the traditional way to protect against the disease, which can greatly reduce its occurrence. However, the use of FMD vaccines to protect early infection is limited. Therefore, the alternative strategy of applying antiviral agents is required to control the spread of FMDV in outbreak situations. As previously reported, LiCl has obviously inhibition effects on a variety of viruses such as transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), infectious bronchitis coronavirus (IBV), and pseudorabies herpesvirus and EV-A71 virus. In this study, our findings were the first to demonstrate that LiCl inhibition of the FMDV replication. In this study, BHK-21 cell was dose-dependent with LiCl at various stages of FMDV. Virus titration assay was calculated by the 50% tissue culture infected dose (TCID50 ) with the Reed and Muench method. The cytotoxicity assay of LiCl was performed by the CCK8 kit. The expression level of viral mRNA was measured by RT-qPCR. The results revealed LiCl can inhibit FMDV replication, but it cannot affect FMDV attachment stage and entry stage in the course of FMDV life cycle. Further studies confirmed that the LiCl affect the replication stage of FMDV, especially the early stages of FMDV replication. So LiCl has potential as an effective anti-FMDV drug. Therefore, LiCl may be an effective drug for the control of FMDV. Based on that, the mechanism of the antiviral effect of LiCl on FMDV infection is need to in-depth research in vivo.

Bacillus capparidis sp. nov., an endophytic bacterium isolated from roots of Capparis spinosa L.

A novel endophytic bacterium, designated strain EGI 6500252T, was isolated from the surface-sterilized roots of a medicinal plant (Capparis spinosa L.) collected from Urumqi city, Xinjiang, north-west China. Cells were Gram-stain-positive, non-motile, aerobic, catalase- and oxidase-positive, rod-shaped and did not display spore formation. Strain EGI 6500252T grew at 10-40 °C (optimum 25-30 °C), at pH 6.0-8.0 (optimum pH 7.0) and in the presence of 0-10 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum 0-3 %). The major cellular fatty acids (>10 %) were identified as iso-C15 : 0, anteiso-C15 : 0, anteiso-C17 : 0 and summed feature 4. The predominant polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, four unknown phospholipids, one unknown glycolipid and one unknown lipid. The dominant isoprenoid quinone was menaquinone 7 (MK-7). The DNA G+C content was 39.9 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain EGI 6500252T belonged to the genus Bacillus, and exhibited a highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity (96.2 %) that was lower than the suggested threshold (97.0 %) for separating bacterial species. On the basis of the phylogenetic analysis, chemotaxonomic data and physiological characteristics, strain EGI 6500252T represents a novel species of the genus Bacillus, for which the name Bacillus capparidis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is EGI 6500252T (=CGMCC 1.12820T=KCTC 33514T).

Streptomyces capparidis sp. nov., a novel endophytic actinobacterium isolated from fruits of Capparis spinosa L.

A novel endophytic actinobacterial strain, designated EGI 6500195T, was isolated from fruits of Capparis spinosa. Growth occurred at 10-45 °C (optimum 30 °C), at pH 6-8 (optimum pH 7) and in the presence of 0-1 % (w/v) NaCl. Strain EGI 6500195T shared highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity (97.74 %) with Streptomyces vitaminophilus DSM 41686T and less than 97 % sequence similarity with other members of the genus Streptomyces. The diagnostic amino acid in the peptidoglycan was ll-diaminopimelic acid. Whole-cell hydrolysates contained glucose, ribose, fructose and mannose. The predominant menaquinones were MK-9(H6) and MK-9(H8). The polar lipid profile of strain EGI 6500195T included diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylmethylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylcholine, three unknown phospholipids, an unknown aminophospholipid and an unknown aminolipid. The cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0, anteiso-C17 : 0, iso-C15 : 0, iso-C16 : 0, anteiso-C17 : 1ω9c, summed feature 4 (iso-C17 : 1 I and/or anteiso-C17 : 1 B) and iso-C17 : 1ω9c. The DNA G+C content of strain EGI 6500195T was 74.1 mol%. The level of DNA-DNA relatedness between strain EGI 6500195T and Streptomyces. vitaminophilus DSM 41686T was 14.1±3.5 %. On the basis of the phenotypic, phylogenetic, chemotaxonomic and DNA-DNA hybridization data, strain EGI 6500195T represents a novel species of the genus Streptomyces, for which the name Streptomyces capparidis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is EGI 6500195T (=DSM 42145T=JCM 30089T).

Sphingobacterium tabacisoli sp. nov., isolated from a tobacco field soil sample.

A Gram-staining-negative, non-motile and rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain h337T, was isolated from an arable soil sample of a tobacco field in Kunming, south-west China. The cells showed oxidase-positive and catalase-positive reactions. Growth was observed at 10-35 °C, at pH 6.0-9.0 and in the presence of up to 3 % (w/v) NaCl, with optimal growth at 30 °C, pH 7.0 and with 1-2 % (w/v) NaCl. The predominant isoprenoid quinone was MK-7. The major fatty acids were identified as iso-C15 : 0, iso-C17 : 0 3-OH, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c) and summed feature 4 (iso-C17 : 1 I and/or anteiso-C17 : 1 B). The cellular polar lipids contained phosphatidylethanolamine, sphingophospholipid, four unidentified phospholipids, five unidentified lipids and three unidentified aminophospholipids. The genomic DNA G+C content was 41.5 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain h337T should be assigned to the genus Sphingobacterium. 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity analysis showed that strain h337T was most closely related to 'Sphingobacteriumyamdrokense' 3-0-1 (98.8 %) and Sphingobacteriumyanglingense CCNWSP36-1T (98.5 %) and shared less than 97 % similarity with other species of the genus Sphingobacterium. DNA-DNA hybridization data indicated that the isolate represented a novel genomic species belonging to the genus Sphingobacterium. The characteristics determined in this polyphasic taxonomic study indicated that strain h337T represents a novel species of the genus Sphingobacterium, for which the name Sphingobacterium tabacisoli sp. nov. (type strain h337T=KCTC 52298T=CCTCC AB 2017155T) is proposed.

Relationship of long noncoding RNA and viruses.

Long noncoding (lnc)RNAs comprise a diverse group of transcripts including large intervening noncoding (linc)RNAs, natural antisense transcripts (NATs) and intronic lncRNAs. The functions and mechanisms of more than 200 lncRNAs have been studied in vitro and the results suggest that lncRNAs may be molecular markers of prognosis in cancer patients. Some lncRNAs can promote virus replication and allow escape from cytosolic surveillance to suppress antiviral immunity. For example, lncRNA can cause persistent infection by Theiler's virus, and microRNA (miR)-27a/b is important for efficient murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) replication. The available evidence suggests that lncRNAs may be potential targets of novel antiviral drugs.

Egicoccus halophilus gen. nov., sp. nov., a halophilic, alkalitolerant actinobacterium and proposal of Egicoccaceae fam. nov. and Egicoccales ord. nov.

A novel Gram-stain-positive, non-motile, moderately halophilic and alkalitolerant actinobacterium, designated EGI 80432T, was isolated from a saline-alkaline soil of Xinjiang province, north-west China. Cells were non-endospore-forming cocci with a diameter of 0.5-0.8 µm. Strain EGI 80432T grew in the presence of 0-9 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum at 3-5 %), and also grew within the pH range 6.0-10.0 (optimum at pH 8.0-9.0) on marine 2216E medium. The peptidoglycan type was A1γ. The whole-cell hydrolysates contained glucose, galactose, mannose and three unknown sugars as major sugars. The predominant menaquinone was MK-9(H4). The major fatty acids were C17 : 1ω8c, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c/C16 : 1ω6c), C18 : 1ω9c and iso-C15 : 0 The polar lipids comprised diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, one unknown phosphoglycolipid, three unknown phospholipids and four unknown polar lipids. The genomic DNA G+C content was 75.2 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain EGI 80432T clustered within the radius of the class Nitriliruptoria. Levels of sequence similarity between strain EGI 80432T and its phylogenetic neighbours Nitriliruptor alkaliphilus ANL-iso2T and Euzebya tangerina F10T were 94.1 and 88.1 %, respectively. Based on morphological, physiological and chemotaxonomic characteristics and phylogenetic analysis, a novel species of a new genus, Egicoccus halophilus gen. nov., sp. nov., is proposed, within the new family and new order Egicoccaceae fam. nov. and Egicoccales ord. nov. in the class Nitriliruptoria. The type strain of Egicoccus halophilus is EGI 80432T ( = CGMCC 1.14988T = KCTC 33612T).

Egibacter rhizosphaerae gen. nov., sp. nov., an obligately halophilic, facultatively alkaliphilic actinobacterium and proposal of Egibaceraceae fam. nov. and Egibacterales ord. nov.

A novel obligately halophilic, facultatively alkaliphilic actinobacterium, designated EGI 80759T, was isolated from the rhizosphere of Tamarix hispida Willd, Karamay, Xinjiang province, north-west China. Cells of strain EGI 80759T were Gram-stain-positive, non-motile and non-endospore-forming rods. Strain EGI 80759T showed obligately halophilic growth with a tolerance to 8-25 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum growth at 10-12 %, w/v) and facultatively alkaliphilic growth within the pH range 7.0-11.0 (optimum growth at pH 9.0-10.0). Cell-wall hydrolysates of the isolate contained meso-diaminopimelic acid (peptidoglycan type A1γ), with glucose, glucosamine, ribose and mannose as the major sugars. The major fatty acids identified were 10-methyl-C17 : 0, C17 : 1ω8c and C17 : 0. The predominant menaquinone was MK-9(H4). The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 72.1 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis, based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, revealed that strain EGI 80759T clustered with members of the class Nitriliruptoria and showed highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities with Euzebya tangerina F10T (90.3 %) and Nitriliruptor alkaliphilus ANL-iso2T (88.1 %). On the basis of the data obtained from phenotypic and chemotaxonomic studies and the phylogenetic analysis, the isolate is proposed to be a representative of a novel genus and a novel species, Egibacter rhizosphaerae gen. nov., sp. nov., of a proposed novel family, Egibacteraceae fam. nov., and order, Egibacterales ord. nov., within the class Nitriliruptoria. The type strain of the type species, Egibacter rhizosphaerae, is EGI 80759T ( = CGMCC 1.14997T = KCTC 39588T).

Nocardiopsis ansamitocini sp. nov., a new producer of ansamitocin P-3 of the genus Nocardiopsis.

An alkalitolerant actinomycete strain, designated EGI 80425T, capable of producing ansamitocin P-3, was isolated from a saline-alkali soil sample of Xinjiang province, north-west China, and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic characterization. Strain EGI 80425T formed non-fragmented substrate mycelia and white aerial hyphae with long spore chains. Whole-cell hydrolysates of the isolate contained meso-diaminopimelic acid as the diagnostic diamino acid and rhamnose as the major sugar. The major fatty acids were anteiso-C17 : 0, iso-C16 : 0 and C18 : 1ω9c. The predominant menaquinones were MK-10(H4), MK-10(H6), MK-10(H8) and MK-9(H4). The G+C content of the genomic DNA of strain EGI 80425T was 70.2 mol%. Strain EGI 80425T showed highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to Nocardiopsis dassonvillei subsp. dassonvillei DSM 43111T (96.44 %). Phylogenetic analysis showed that strain EGI 80425T clustered with the members of the genus Nocardiopsis. Based on phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic characteristics, strain EGI 80425T represents a novel species of the genus Nocardiopsis, for which the name Nocardiopsis ansamitocini sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is EGI 80425T ( = CGMCC 9969T = KCTC 39605T).