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Thermotoga subterranea sp. nov., a new thermophilic bacterium isolated from a continental oil reservoir

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Abstract

A thermophilic, strictly anaerobic bacterium, designated strain SL1, was isolated from a deep, continental oil reservoir in the East Paris Basin (France). This organism grew between 50 and 75°C, with an, optimum at 70°C. It was inhibited by elemental sulfur and was able to reduce cystine and thiosulfate to hydrogen sulfide. The G+C content (40 mol%), the presence of a lipid structure unique to the genusThermotoga, and the 16S rRNA sequence of strain SL1 indicated that the isolate belongs to the genusThermotoga. Based on DNA-DNA hybridization, isolate SL1 does not show species-level similarity with the recognized speciesT. maritima, T. neapolitana, andT. thermarum. Based on this description of strain SL1, we propose the recognition of a new species:Thermotoga subterranea.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Station Biologique, UPR 9042, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, B. P. 74, F-29682, Roscoff cedex, France

    Christian Jeanthon, Stéphane L'Haridon & Daniel Prieur

  2. Place Georges-Teissier, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, B. P. 74, F-29682, Roscoff cedex, France

    Christian Jeanthon, Stéphane L'Haridon & Daniel Prieur

  3. Department of Biology and Institute for Molecular and Cellular Biology, Indiana University, 47405, Bloomington, IN, USA

    Anna-Louise Reysenbach & Norman R. Pace

  4. Istituto per la Chimica di Molecole di Interesse Biologico, Via Toiano 6, I-80072, Arco Felice (Napoli), Italy

    Agata Gambacorta

  5. Total Exploration Production, Centre Scientifique et Technique, F-78470, Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse, France

    Philippe Glénat

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  1. Christian Jeanthon
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  2. Anna-Louise Reysenbach
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  3. Stéphane L'Haridon
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  4. Agata Gambacorta
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  6. Philippe Glénat
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Correspondence to Christian Jeanthon.

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Jeanthon, C., Reysenbach, AL., L'Haridon, S. et al. Thermotoga subterranea sp. nov., a new thermophilic bacterium isolated from a continental oil reservoir. Arch. Microbiol. 164, 91–97 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02525313

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02525313

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