Enhancing stability via confining Rh-P species in ZIF-8 for hydroformylation of 1-octene.

The stability of Rh-based heterogeneous catalysts is a key issue in the hydroformylation of olefins. Confinement of active Rh species has been considered an effective strategy to achieve stable catalysts. In this work, a phosphine ligand was successfully confined in ZIF-8 material and coordinated with Rh metal by a reduction procedure to develop an efficient and stable Rh-based catalyst for hydroformylation of 1-octene. The results indicate that the catalyst reduced at 300 °C under H2 atmosphere exhibits better stability than that with NaBH4 as reductant and undoped P catalyst. Various characterization studies demonstrate that the superior performance is due to the strong interaction between Rh metal and P, which inhibits the leaching of active Rh species. This work reveals an effective strategy for the synthesis of highly stable catalysts for use in the hydroformylation reaction.

FePO4 supported Rh subnano clusters with dual active sites for efficient hydrogenation of quinoline under mild conditions.

Chemoselective hydrogenation of quinoline and its derivatives under mild reaction conditions still remains a challenging topic, which requires a suitable interaction between reactants and a catalyst to achieve high performance and stability. Herein, FePO4-supported Rh single atoms, subnano clusters and nanoparticle catalysts were synthesized and evaluated in the chemoselective hydrogenation of quinoline. The results show that the Rh subnano cluster catalyst with a size of ∼1 nm gives a specific reaction rate of 353 molquinoline molRh-1 h-1 and a selectivity of >99% for 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline under mild conditions of 50 °C and 5 bar H2, presenting better performance compared with the Rh single atoms and nanoparticle counterparts. Moreover, the Rh subnano cluster catalyst exhibits good stability and substrate universality for the hydrogenation of various functionalized quinolines. A series of characterization studies demonstrate that the acidic properties of the FePO4 support favors the adsorption of quinoline while the Rh subnano clusters promote the dissociation of H2 molecules, and then contribute to the enhanced hydrogenation performance. This work provides an important implication to design efficient Rh-based catalysts for chemoselective hydrogenation under mild conditions.

Impact of Temperature Change on the Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda under Global Climate Change.

The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith, 1797), known as an important agricultural pest around the world, is indigenous to the tropical-subtropical regions in the Western Hemisphere, although its distribution has expanded over large parts of America, Africa, Asia and Oceania in the last few years. The pest causes considerable costs annually coupled with its strong invasion propensity. Temperature is identified as the dominant abiotic factor affecting herbivorous insects. Several efforts have reported that temperature directly or indirectly influences the geographic distribution, phenology and natural enemies of the poikilothermal FAW, and thus may affect the damage to crops, e.g., the increased developmental rate accelerates the intake of crops at higher temperatures. Under some extreme temperatures, the FAW is likely to regulate various genes expression in response to environmental changes, which causes a wider viability and possibility of invasion threat. Therefore, this paper seeks to review and critically consider the variations of developmental indicators, the relationships between the FAW and its natural enemies and the temperature tolerance throughout its developmental stage at varying levels of heat/cold stress. Based on this, we discuss more environmentally friendly and economical control measures, we put forward future challenges facing climate change, we further offer statistical basics and instrumental guidance significance for informing FAW pest forecasting, risk analyses and a comprehensive management program for effective control globally.

Hephaestia mangrovi sp. nov., a novel endophytic bacterium isolated from Aegiceras corniculatum.

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, motile, rod-shaped bacterium, designated CMS5P-6T, was isolated from a surface-sterilized bark of Aegiceras corniculatum collected from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, PR China, and investigated by a polyphasic approach to determine its taxonomic position. Strain CMS5P-6T was found to grow optimally with 0-1 % (w/v) NaCl, at 30 °C and pH 6.0-7.0. Substrate mycelia and aerial mycelia were not formed, and no diffusible pigments were observed on the media tested. Phylogenetic analysis showed that strain CMS5P-6T showed high 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 96.7 % to Hephaestia caeni DSM 25527T and Sphingomonas colocasiea CC-MHH0539T. The average nucleotide identity, digital DNA-DNA hybridization and average amino acid identity values between strain CMS5P-6T and H. caeni DSM 25527T were 78.0, 21.7 and 70.8 %, respectively. The average nucleotide identity, digital DNA-DNA hybridization and average amino acid identity values between strain CMS5P-6T and S. colocasiea JCM 31229T were 74.0, 19.9 and 61.4 %, respectively. Phylogenomic analyses based on genome sequences showed that strain CMS5P-6T and H. caeni DSM 25527T formed a distinct cluster within the family Sphingomonadaceae and far away from S. colocasiea JCM 31229T. The DNA G+C content of strain CMS5P-6T was determined to be 65.6 mol%. The cell-wall peptidoglycan was found to contain meso-diaminopimelic acid as the diagnostic diamino acid and ubiquinone Q-10 was identified as the respiratory lipoquinone. The polar lipids were found to comprise diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, sphingoglycolipid and two unidentified aminolipids, and the major fatty acids were identified as C18 : 1 ω7c, C19 : 0 cycloω8c and C16 : 0. On the basis of phylogenetic, genomic, chemotaxonomic and phenotypic data, strain CMS5P-6T can be concluded to represent a novel species of the genus Hephaestia, for which the name Hephaestia mangrovi sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CMS5P-6T (=JCM 33125T=CGMCC 1.13868T).

In Situ Transformation of ZIF-8 into Porous Overlayer on Ru/ZnO for Enhanced Hydrogenation Catalysis.

Supported metal catalysts play a significant role in heterogeneous catalysis in liquid phase reaction systems, but they usually suffer from a stability problem. Encapsulation of active metal species without the compromise of catalytic performance has been considered as an effective strategy. Here, we report an ultrastable Ru-based catalyst with particle size of around 1.1 nm for selective hydrogenation reaction. The highly dispersed Ru species are covered by the in situ formed porous N-C-ZnO overlayer, which is induced through the transforming of ZIF-8 shell that derives from a ZnO substrate. The resulting Ru/ZnO@N-C-ZnO catalyst can exhibit good stability in the hydrogenation of p-chloronitrobenzene after 20 cyclic runs with 100% selectivity toward p-chloroaniline. Comparatively, the naked Ru/ZnO catalyst with larger Ru particles shows serious metal leaching issue with inferior stability and poor selectivity. It is revealed that the excellent performance of Ru/ZnO@N-C-ZnO is attributed to the porous overlayer, which strengthens the bonding of Ru nanoparticles on ZnO.

Jiella sonneratiae sp. nov., a novel endophytic bacterium isolated from bark of Sonneratia apetala.

A new endophytic bacterium, designated strain MQZ13P-4T was isolated from Sonneratia apetala collected from Maowei sea Mangrove Nature Reserve in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, PR China. The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between strain MQZ13P-4T and its closest phylogenetic neighbour Jiella endophytica CBS5Q-3T was 97.9 %. Phylogenetic analyses using 16S rRNA gene sequences and whole-genome sequences showed that strain MQZ13P-4T formed a distinct lineage with Jiella endophytica CBS5Q-3T, Jiella pacifica 40Bstr34T and Jiella aquimaris JCM 30119T. The draft genome of strain MQZ13P-4T was 5 153 243 bp in size and its DNA G+C content was 68.1 mol%. Comparative genome analysis revealed that the average nucleotide identity, digital DNA-DNA hybridization and average amino acid identity values among strain MQZ13P-4T and other related species were below the cut-off levels of 95, 70 and 95.5 %, respectively. The cell-wall peptidoglycan of strain MQZ13P-4T contained meso-diaminopimelic acid as the diagnostic diamino acid. The respiratory quinone was Q-10. The major cellular fatty acid was C18 : 1 ω7c. The polar lipids comprised phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, two unidentified aminolipids and two unidentified lipids. Strain MQZ13P-4T had a typical chemical compositions of fatty acids, lipids, quinones and diagnostic diamino acid for Jiella species, but could be distinguished from known species of the genus Jiella. Based on polyphasic evidence, strain MQZ13P-4T represents novel species of the genus Jiella, for which the name Jiella sonneratiae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is MQZ13P-4T (=CGMCC 1.18727T=JCM 34333T).

Pseudooceanicola endophyticus sp. nov., a novel endophytic bacterium isolated from bark Aegiceras corniculatum.

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, short-rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain CBS1P-1T, was isolated from a surface-sterilized bark of Aegiceras corniculatum. Growth of strain CBS1P-1T was observed with between 0 and 12.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimally with 5.0 %) and at between pH 6.0-9.0. It grew at temperatures between 25-37 °C (optimum, 30 °C). Chemotaxonomic analysis showed that ubiquinone-10 was the respiratory quinone. The lipids comprised diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, an unidentified glycolipid, an unidentified phospholipid and an unidentified aminolipid. The major fatty acids of strain CBS1P-1T were C18 : 1 ω7c, C16 : 0 and C19 : 0 cyclo ω8c. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain CBS1P-1T was most related to Pseudooceanicola antarcticus CGMCC 1.12662T with a sequence similarity of 96.5 %. The average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain CBS1P-1T and P. antarcticus 1.12662T were 77.5 and 21.1 %, respectively. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 67.3 mol%. Based on phylogenetic, chemotaxonomic and phenotypic data, strain CBS1P-1T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Pseudooceanicola, for which the name Pseudooceanicola endophyticus is proposed. The type strain is CBS1P-1T (=KCTC 62836T=CGMCC 1.13743T).

Phycicoccus mangrovi sp. nov., a novel endophytic actinobacterium isolated from bark of Sonneratia apetala.

Two novel strains KQZ13P-1T and MAQZ13P-2 were isolated from bark of Sonneratia apetala collected from Maowei sea Mangrove Nature Reserve in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. Two strains were Gram-positive, aerobic, non-spore-forming, no diffusion pigment actinobacterial strains and investigated by a polyphasic approach to determine their taxonomic position. The average nucleotide identity (ANI) value and the digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) value between the two strains were 99.9% and 99.7%, respectively, suggesting that they belonged to the same species. The ANI and dDDH values between strain KQZ13P-1T and five Phycicoccus species were 74.4-95.3% and 20.1-61.5%, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the two strains were member of the genus Phycicoccus and were closely related to P. jejuensis NRRL B-24460T (99.2% sequence similarity), followed by P. ginsengisoli DCY87T (97.5-97.6%). Moreover, based on 88 core genes, the phylogenomic tree indicated that the two strains clustered with P. jejuensis NRRL B-24460T. The cell-wall peptidoglycan of both strains contained meso-diaminopimelic acid. The major fatty acids in two strains were C17:1ω8c, iso-C15:0 and iso-C16:0. The major polar lipids included diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylinositol (PI). Based on phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic analysis, strains KQZ13P-1T and MAQZ13P-2 represent a novel species of the genus Phycicoccus, for which the name Phycicoccus mangrovi sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is KQZ13P-1T (=CGMCC 1.18973T = JCM 34556T).

Ectobacillus aegiceratis sp. nov., a novel bacterium isolated from branch of Aegiceras corniculatum.

A Gram-stain-positive, non-motile, endospore-forming, rod-shaped and aerobic bacterium was isolated from surface-sterilized branch of Aegiceras corniculatum in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. The isolate, designated strain 165T, grew at 20-45 °C (optimum, 30 °C), pH 6.0-7.0 (optimum, 6.0) and with 0-3 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 1 %). The major respiratory quinone was MK-7 and the cell-wall peptidoglycan contained meso-diaminopimelic acid as the diagnostic diamino acid. The polar lipids comprised diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, an unidentified phospholipid and an unidentified glycolipid. The major fatty acids were iso-C15:0, anteiso-C15:0 and iso-C16:0. On the basis of 16 S rRNA gene sequence and multiple genes of conserved core proteins analysis, strain 165T was a member of the genus Ectobacillus. Its closest phylogenetic neighbor was Ectobacillus panaciterrae Gsoil 1517T, with sequence similarity of 97.1 %. The average nucleotide identity value between strain 165T and type strain of Ectobacillus panaciterrae was 73.0 %. The estimated DDH value between strain 165T and type strain of Ectobacillus panaciterrae was 19.7 %. The genome of strain 165T was 3, 545, 051 bp long with a DNA G + C content of 38.2 % and encodes 3459 predicted proteins, 25 rRNAs, 87 tRNAs and 5 ncRNA. The genome of strain 165T comprised gene clusters of type 3 PKS, terpene, betalactone and lanthipeptide-class-ii for secondary metabolites. Phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses supported the strain 165T as a representative of a novel species of the genus Ectobacillus, for which the name Ectobacillus aegiceratis sp. nov. is proposed, with strain 165T (= JCM 33,414T = CGMCC 1.13742T) as the type strain.

Jiella mangrovi sp. nov., a novel endophytic bacterium isolated from leaf of Rhizophora stylosa.

A Gram-stain negative, non-motile, brilliant yellow and non-spore forming, coccoid- or short rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain KSK16Y-1T, was isolated from surface-sterilised leaf of Rhizophora stylosa collected from Shankou Mangrove Nature Reserve, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. Genome of strain KSK16Y-1T is 4.93 Mb with 68.1% DNA G + C content and encoded 4359 predicted proteins, 4 rRNAs, 45 tRNAs and 4 ncRNA. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that the strain KSK16Y-1T has 98.1%, 97.9% and 96.9% 16S rRNA gene similarities with Jiella aquimaris JCM 30119T, J. endophytica CBS5Q-3T and J. pacifica 40Bstr34T, respectively. Whole-genome comparisons between strain KSK16Y-1T and J. aquimaris 22II-16-19i, J. endophytica CBS5Q-3T, J. pacifica 40Bstr34T, using average nucleotide identity (ANI) values (< 82.0%) and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) values (< 25.1%), confirmed low genome relatedness. Strain KSK16Y-1T grew at 20-30 °C (optimum, 30 °C), pH 6.0-11.0 (optimum, pH 6.0-7.0) and with 0-10% (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 0-2%). Cell wall contained meso-diaminopimelic acid and the major fatty acid was C18:1ω7c. The polar lipid profile consists of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine, one unknown phospholipid, one unknown aminolipid, one unknown aminophospholipid and four unidentified lipids. The predominant respiratory quinone is ubiquinone-10 (Q-10). The polyphasic characterization indicated that strain KSK16Y-1T represents a novel Jiella species. The name Jiella mangrovi sp. nov., type strain KSK16Y-1T (= CGMCC 1.18745T = JCM 34332T) is proposed.

Phycicoccus avicenniae sp. nov., a novel endophytic actinomycete isolated from a branch of Avicennia mariana.

A novel endophytic actinomycete, designated strain BSK3Z-2 T, was isolated from a surface-sterilised branch of Avicennia mariana from Shankou Mangrove Nature Reserve, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. Cells were observed to be Gram-stain positive, aerobic, asporogenous and rod-shaped. Strain BSK3Z-2 T was found to grow optimally at 30 °C, pH 7.0 and in the presence of 1% (w/v) NaCl. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain BSK3Z-2 T belongs to the genus Phycicoccus and has high 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 98.1% with Phycicoccus endophyticus IP6SC6T. Phylogenetic analysis based on the genome of strain BSK3Z-2 T was performed by extracting and aligning 39 conserved proteins and 88 housekeeping genes, which further confirmed the phylogenetic assignment of strain BSK3Z-2 T. The draft genome of strain BSK3Z-2 T is 3.54 Mbp with a DNA G + C content of 73.8%. The average nucleotide identity (ANI), amino acid identity (AAI) and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) values between strain BSK3Z-2 T and species of genus Phycicoccus were 73.8-85.6%, 64.5-75.9% and 19.5-23.8%, respectively, which are below the standard cut-off values for bacterial species delineation. Strain BSK3Z-2 T contains MK-8(H4) as the dominant menaquinone. The cell wall peptidoglycan contains meso-diaminopimelic acid. The polar lipids profile of strain BSK3Z-2 T was found to contain diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylinositol. The predominant fatty acids were identified as C15:0, C17:0, iso-C16:0 and C17:1ω8c. Comparing the phenotypic and phylogenetic features of the strain BSK3Z-2 T and related taxa, strain BSK3Z-2 T is concluded to represent a novel species of the genus Phycicoccus, for which the name Phycicoccus avicenniae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is BSK3Z-2 T (= CGMCC 1.18743 T = JCM 34335 T).

Brachybacterium halotolerans sp. nov., a halotolerant, endophytic actinomycete isolated from branch of Bruguiera gymnoirhiza.

A novel, aerobic, moderately halophilic Gram-positive actinomycete, strain MASK1Z-5T was isolated from a surface-sterilized branch of Bruguiera gymnoirhiza in Shankou Mangrove Nature Reserve, Guangxi, China. The taxonomic position of the strain was investigated using a polyphasic approach. Strain MASK1Z-5T tolerated up to 20% (w/v) NaCl (optimum 0-7%), and grew at pH 5.0-12.0 (optimum pH 7.0-8.0), 20-37 °C (optimum 30 °C). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain MASK1Z-5T belonged to the genus Brachybacterium, and showed the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 98.0% to B. endophyticum M1HQ-2T. The cell-wall peptidoglycan contained meso-diaminopimelic acid as diagnostic diamino acid. MK-7 was the predominant menaquinone. The polar lipids comprised diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, one unidentified glycolipid and three unidentified lipids. The major fatty acids were anteiso-C15:0, iso-C16:0 and anteiso-C17:0. The DNA G + C content was calculated to be 71.8 mol% based on the whole genome sequence. The estimated values of average nucleotide identity (ANI) and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) based on whole genome sequences between strain MASK1Z-5T and B. endophyticum M1HQ-2T were 81.8% and 25.0%, respectively. The phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and genotypic properties clearly indicated that strain MASK1Z-5T represents a novel species within the genus Brachybacterium, for which the name Brachybacterium halotolerans sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is MASK1Z-5T (= CGMCC1.18660T = JCM 34339T).

Phycicoccus flavus sp. nov., a novel endophytic actinobacterium isolated from branch of Kandelia candel.

A Gram-stain-positive, aerobic, non-motile, non-endospore-forming and rod-shaped actinobacterium, designated strain CMS6Z-2T, was isolated from a surface-sterilized branch of Kandelia candel collected from the Maowei Sea, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, PR China. Strain CMS6Z-2T grew at 10-37 °C (optimum, 37 °C), pH 6.0-9.0 (optimum, pH 7.0-8.0) and in the presence of 0-10.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 0-1.0 %). Strain CMS6Z-2T possessed meso-diaminopimelic acid as the diamino acid of the peptidoglycan and MK-8 (H4) as the predominant menaquinone. The major fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0, C16 : 0 and C18 : 1 ω9c. The polar lipids comprised diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol and two unknown phospholipids. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 74.1 mol%. Comparative analysis of 16S rRNA genes showed that strain CMS6Z-2T should be assigned to the genus Phycicoccus and its closest relative was Phycicoccus endophyticus IP6SC6T with 98.3 % similarity. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequence and phylogenomic analysis based on core proteomes alignment revealed that strain CMS6Z-2T belonged to the genus Phycicoccus and formed a robust cluster with Phycicoccus endophyticus IP6SC6T within the genus Phycicoccus. The average nucleotide identity value and estimated digital DNA-DNA hybridization value between strain CMS6Z-2T and the type strain of Phycicoccus endophyticus were 81.5 and 23.9 %, respectively. On the basis of phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics, strain CMS6Z-2T represents a novel species of the genus Phycicoccus, for which the name Phycicoccus flavus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CMS6Z-2T (=KCTC 49240T=CGMCC4.7549T).

Nocardioides acrostichi sp. nov., a novel endophytic actinobacterium isolated from leaf of Acrostichum aureum.

A short-rod-shaped, non-spore-forming endophytic actinobacterium, was isolated from a surface-sterilized leaf of Acrostichum aureum in Fangchenggang, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, designated strain CBS4Y-1T and examined by a polyphasic approach to determine its taxonomic position. This actinobacterium was Gram-staining-positive and aerobic. Substrate mycelia and aerial mycelia were not observed, and no diffusible pigments were observed on the media tested. Strain CBS4Y-1T grew optimally with 0-1.0% (w/v) NaCl at 30 °C, pH 7.0-8.0. Comparative analysis of 16S rRNA genes showed that strain CBS4Y-1T shared the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities with Nocardioides marinus CL-DD14T (96.7%) and Nocardioides terrae BX5-10T (96.7%). Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequence and phylogenomic analysis based on core proteomes alignment revealed that strain CBS4Y-1T belonged to the genus Nocardioides and formed a distinct cluster within the genus Nocardioides. The DNA G + C content of strain CBS4Y-1T was 71.1 mol%. The cell-wall peptidoglycan contained LL-diaminopimelic acid and MK-8(H4) was the predominant menaquinone. Phosphatidylglycerol (PG), diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG), phosphatidylinositol (PI) were detected in the polar lipid extracts. The major fatty acids were iso-C16:0, C18:1ω9c and iso-C17:0. On the basis of phylogenetic analysis, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics, strain CBS4Y-1T represents a novel species of the genus Nocardioides, for which the name Nocardioides acrostichi sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CBS4Y-1T (= KCTC 49238T = CGMCC 4.7548T).

Corrigendum: Isolation and Characterization of a Novel Myophage Abp9 Against Pandrug Resistant Acinetobacater baumannii.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.506068.].

Microbacterium excoecariae sp. nov., a novel endophytic actinobacterium isolated from bark of Excoecaria agallocha Linn.

A Gram-stain-positive, aerobic actinobacterium, designated strain CBS5P-1T, was isolated from bark of Excoecaria agallocha Linn collected from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, PR China. Cells were short rods. Colonies were light yellow, circular and had entire margins. Strain CBS5P-1T grew at 10-37 °C (optimum, 30 °C) and pH 6.0-12.0 (optimum, pH 7.0-8.0). Its nearest phylogenetic neighbour was Microbacterium amylolyticum DSM 24221T with 97.1 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain CBS5P-1T was 71.8 mol%. Anteiso-C15  : 0, anteiso-C17 : 0, iso-C16 : 0 and C16:0 were predominant cellular fatty acids. Major menaquinones were MK-11 and MK-10. The polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, an unidentified glycolipid and an unidentified phospholipid. The combination of chemotaxonomic, phylogenetic and phenotypic data clearly distinguished strain CBS5P-1T from its phylogenetic neighbour. Accordingly, the name Microbacterium excoecariae sp. nov. is proposed to accommodate this new member of the genus Microbacterium. The type strain is CBS5P-1T (=KCTC 49239T=CGMCC 1.13862T).

Isolation and Characterization of a Novel Myophage Abp9 Against Pandrug Resistant Acinetobacater baumannii.

Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) has emerged as one of the most troublesome pathogens in health care institutions. A. baumannii can cause a wide range of diseases in humans, including pneumonia and septicemia. Phage therapy has drawn great interest from medical researchers as a potential way to control infections by antibiotic-resistant A. baumannii. Using a pandrug-resistant clinical A. baumannii isolate ABZY9 as an indicator, we isolated a lytic phage Abp9 from hospital sewage. Abp9 belongs to myoviridae family and shows a wider host range of 12%. Abp9 contains a linear double-stranded DNA genome of 44,820 bp with a G + C content of 37.69%. The Abp9 genome contains 80 open reading frames, but lacks any known virulence genes or lysogen-formation genes. In a systemic A. baumannii infection mouse models, Abp9 treatment showed good therapeutic effects. We have also observed an excellent lytic activity against A. baumannii in biofilm form of growth in vitro. All of these suggest that Abp9 is a good candidate for the phage therapy against drug-resistant A. baumannii infections.

Insecticidal Activity of 11 Bt toxins and 3 Transgenic Maize Events Expressing Vip3Aa19 to Black Cutworm, Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnagel).

Black cutworm (BCW), Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnagel), is an occasional pest of maize that can cause considerable economic loss and injury to corn seedlings. This research mainly assessed the susceptibility of BCW neonates to 11 Bt toxins (Cry1Ab, Cry1Ac, Cry1Ah, Cry1F, Cry1Ie, Cry1B, Cry2Aa, Vip3_ch1, Vip3_ch4, Vip3Ca2, Vip3Aa19) by exposing neonates to an artificial diet containing Bt toxins and evaluated the efficacy of three transgenic maize events (C008, C009, C010) expressing Vip3Aa19 toxin against BCW. The toxin-diet bioassay data indicated that Vip3Aa19 protein (LC50 = 0.43 µg/g) was the most active against BCW. Chimeric protein Vip3_ch1 (LC50 = 5.53 µg/g), Cry1F (LC50 = 83.62 µg/g) and Cry1Ac (LC50 = 184.77 µg/g) were less toxic. BCW was very tolerant to the other Bt toxins tested, with LC50 values more than 200 µg/g. Greenhouse studies were conducted with artificial infestations at the whorl stage by placing second-instar BCW larvae into whorl leaf and the fourth-instar larvae at the base of maize seedings. These results suggest that these transgenic maize events expressing Vip3Aa19 can provide effective control for BCW.

Bacillus taxi sp. nov., a novel endophytic bacterium isolated from root of Taxus chinensis (Pilger) Rehd.

A Gram-staining-positive, aerobic, rod-shaped, endospore-forming bacterium, designated strain M5HDSG1-1T, was originally isolated from a surface-sterilized root of Taxus chinensis (Pilger) Rehd. in Guizhou, PR China. This bacterium was tested by a polyphasic approach to determine its taxonomic position. A 16S rRNA gene-based phylogenetic analysis revealed that M5HDSG1-1T had the greatest similarity to the type strain of Bacillus nealsonii DSM 15077T (99.1 %). The average nucleotide identity values between M5HDSG1-1T and Bacillus nealsonii DSM 15077T and Bacillus circulans NBRC 13626T were 73.3 and 72.8 %, respectively. The digital DNA-DNA hybridization values between M5HDSG1-1T and Bacillus nealsonii DSM 15077T and Bacillus circulans NBRC 13626T were 20.1 and 20.6 %, respectively, which were below the recommended thresholds. M5HDSG1-1T grew at a pH range of 6.0-12.0 (optimum, 7.0-8.0), at temperatures between 10 and 45 °C (optimum, 30 °C) and at 0-2 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 1 %). Neither substrate nor aerial mycelia was formed, and no diffusible pigments were observed on the media tested. The predominant isoprenoid quinone was menaquinone-7 (MK-7). The major fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0, and iso-C15 : 0. The polar lipids comprised diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, an unidentified aminophospholipid and an unidentified phospholipid. The DNA G+C content was 37.5 mol%. According to the phylogeneic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic data, M5HDSG1-1T was clearly distinguishable from other species with validly published names in the genus Bacillus and should therefore be classified as representing a novel species, and we suggest the name Bacillus taxi sp. nov. The type strain is M5HDSG1-1T (=JCM 33117T=CGMCC 1.13668T).

Aeromicrobium endophyticum sp. nov., a novel endophytic actinobacterium isolated from bark of Melia azedaeach L.

A Gram-staining-positive, aerobic, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming actinobacterium, designated strain M2KJ-4T, was isolated from a surface-sterilized bark of Melia azedaeach L. collected from Xinpu in Guizhou, PR China and characterized using a polyphasic approach to determine its taxonomic position. M2KJ-4T grew optimally with 1 % (w/v) NaCl at 25 °C and pH 8.0. Substrate mycelia and aerial mycelia were not formed, and no diffusible pigments were observed on the media tested. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that M2KJ-4Trepresented a member of the genus Aeromicrobium and shared the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with Aeromicrobium fastidiosum DSM 10552T (Z78209) (98.95 %). The DNA G+C content of M2KJ-4T was 70.6 mol%. The average nucleotide identity value and estimated DDH value between M2KJ-4T and the type strain of A. fastidiosum were 86.1 % and 30.2 %, respectively. The cell-wall peptidoglycan contained ll-diaminopimelic acid and MK-9(H4) was the predominant menaquinone. The predominant polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, unidentified phospholipids and unidentified lipids. The major fatty acids were C16 : 0, 10-methyl C18 : 0, C16 : 0 2-OH and C18 : 1ω9c. On the basis of the results from phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic analysis, strain M2KJ-4T represents a novel species of the genus Aeromicrobium, for which the name Aeromicrobium endophyticum sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is M2KJ-4T (=KCTC 49174T=CGMCC 1.13666T).