Presence of 2,4-D-catabolizing Bacteria in a Japanese Arable Soil that Belong to BANA (Bradyrhizobium-Agromonas-Nitrobacter-Afipia) Cluster in .ALPHA.-Proteobacteria.

We isolated the 2, 4-D-catabolizing bacterial strain RD5-C2 from Japanese upland soil that had no history of 2, 4-D exposure.RD5-C2 could use 2, 4-D as the sole carbon and energy sources for their growth.Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rDNA sequencing revealed that RD5-C2 was a member of the BANA(Bradyrhizobium-Agromonas-Nitrobacter-Afipia)cluster in the α subdivision of the class Proteobacteria.The gene sequence of RD5-C2 most closely matched that of Bradyrhizobium sp.and also closely related to those of 2, 4-D-catabolizing α-Proteobacteria previously isolated from pristine environments of Hawaii, northern Canada and central Chile.This is the first instance that 2, 4-D-catabolizing bacteria in that phylogenetic group was isolated from an arable soil environment.