Methylobacterium bullatum sp. nov., a methylotrophic bacterium isolated from Funaria hygrometrica

A novel, pink-pigmented aerobic, facultatively methylotrophic bacterial strain (F3.2T) isolated from the phyllosphere of Funaria hygrometrica, was analyzed using a polyphasic approach. Cells were Gram-negative, motile rods, strictly aerobic and non-spore-forming and exhibited surface structures varying in quantity, distribution and morphology. The isolate grew at 10–33 °C over a pH range of 5.5–8.0 and in the presence of less than 1.0% NaCl. Strain F3.2T shared less than 70% DNA–DNA binding to the next type strain of the genus Methylobacterium (M. adhaesivum DSM 17169T). In addition to the major cellular fatty acid C18:1ω7c (81.7%), present in all Methylobacterium species (and also members of the genus Alphaproteobacteria), a high value (11.7%) of the fatty acids (summed feature) C16:1ω7c and/or iso-C15:02OH was determined. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rDNA and methanol dehydrogenase gene sequences, DNA–DNA hybridization values, chemotaxonomic and phenotypic characteristics indicate that the strain F3.2T represents a novel species within the genus Methylobacterium. We propose the name Methylobacterium bullatum sp. nov. for this species. The type strain is the strain F3.2T (DSM 21893T = LMG 24788T).