[Isolation and characterization of a novel radiation-resistant rod-shaped bacterium].

ABSTRACT

A novel radiation-resistant bacterium was isolated from soil of lake bank in Beijing. The bacterium produced orange-pigmented colonies and formed rod-shaped cells that stained gram negative alike the Deinobacter grandis previously described by Japan's scientist. It was found with electron microscopy that the isolate is of 0.6 microm - 1.6 microm size and has a 30-40 nm thickness of cell wall, being slightly larger and thicker than the Deinobacter grandis. There was a difference in the concentration and molecule weight of catalase between the isolate and the Deincoccus radiodurans R1. The deoxyribonucleic acid guanine plus cytosine (G + C) base ratio was 70.7 mol%. 16S RNA gene sequencing also showed that this rod-shaped bacterium possessed a high homology with the Deinobacter grandis, suggesting that it might be classified into the genus Deinobacter and constitute a new species in this genus.