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Sulfolobus tengchongensis sp. nov., a novel thermoacidophilic archaeon isolated from a hot spring in Tengchong, China

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Abstract

A novel thermoacidophilic strain, designated RT8-4, was isolated from an acidic hot spring in Tengchong, Yunnan, China, and characterized phenotypically and phylogenetically. Cells of strain RT8-4 are irregular cocci with peritrechous flagella. The strain grows aerobically in either a lithotrophic or a heterotrophic mode. No anaerobic growth is apparent. Growth on elemental sulfur occurs through the oxidation of sulfur. Strain RT8-4 is capable of utilizing tryptone, d-xylose, d-arabinose, d-galactose, maltose, sucrose, d-fructose, or l-glutamic acid as the sole source of carbon. d-Glucose and d-mannose are not utilized. RT8-4 grows optimally at 85 °C and pH 3.5. The G+C content of the genome of RT8-4 is 34.4 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rDNA sequence as well as DNA–DNA hybridization and phenotypic characterization identifies strain RT8-4 as a novel species in the genus Sulfolobus. It is proposed that strain RT8-4 be designated as Sulfolobus tengchongensis sp. nov. The type strain is RT8-4T.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation of China (39925001 and 30030010) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KSCX2-3-01-02).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, People's Republic of China

    Xiaoyu Xiang, Xiuzhu Dong & Li Huang

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  1. Xiaoyu Xiang
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  2. Xiuzhu Dong
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  3. Li Huang
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Correspondence to Li Huang.

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Communicated by K. Horikoshi

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Xiang, X., Dong, X. & Huang, L. Sulfolobus tengchongensis sp. nov., a novel thermoacidophilic archaeon isolated from a hot spring in Tengchong, China. Extremophiles 7, 493–498 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-003-0355-2

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