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DNA-DNA homology studies among strains of Arthrobacter and Brevibacterium

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Abstract

Sixteen named strains of Arthrobacter and two strains of Brevibacterium were investigated by nucleic acid hybridisation. The Arthrobacter strains show homology values ranging between 11 and 55% to the type strain A. globiformis DSM 20124 (ATCC 8010), indicating only a low to moderate relationship. Two strains of A. globiformis, DSM 20124 and DSM 20125, exhibit only poor relationship to one another (30%). Among all the Arthrobacter strains the homology data range between 10 to 70% demonstrating separate status of almost all species. Only A. polychromogenes DSM 20136 was found to be a subspecies of A. oxydans DSM 20119. The type strain of A. citreus, DSM 20133 shows a remarkable lack of homology to four other strains of A. citreus, deposited as ATCC 15170, ATCC 17775, ATCC 21040 and ATCC 21348 (11–13%) which themselves can be separated into two groups according to the homology data (24–31%). Each of the two strains of Brevibacterium share high genetic relatedness with one of these A. citreus groups (71 and 73%, respectively). According to the DNA-DNA homology data, most of the species of Arthrobacter can actually be ranged taxonomically as species.

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Abbreviations

DSM:

German Collection of Microorganisms, Menzinger Strasse 67, D-8000 Munich 19, FRG

ATCC:

American Type Culture Collection, Rockville, Maryland, U.S.A.

CCM:

Czechoslovak Collection of Microorganisms, J. E. Purkyne University, Tr. Obracu miru 10, Brno, CSSR

NCIB:

National Collection of Industrial Bacteria Aberdeen, Scotland

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lehrstuhl für Mikrobiologie der Technischen Universität, Acrisstr. 21, D-8000, München 2, Federal Republic of Germany

    E. Stackebrandt

  2. Lehrstuhl für Mikrobiologie der Universität München, Menzinger Strasse 67, D-8000, München 19, Federal Republic of Germany

    F. Fiedler

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  1. E. Stackebrandt
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  2. F. Fiedler
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Stackebrandt, E., Fiedler, F. DNA-DNA homology studies among strains of Arthrobacter and Brevibacterium . Arch. Microbiol. 120, 289–295 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00423078

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00423078

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