Agromyces ulmi sp. nov., a xylanolytic bacterium isolated from Ulmus nigra in Spain

Two xylan-degrading bacterial strains were isolated from a decayed Ulmus nigra tree in Spain. The isolates were Gram-positive, non-motile, aerobic and formed substrate mycelium which fragmented into irregular rods. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that the isolates form a separate branch within the genus Agromyces phylogenetic cluster, with Agromyces mediolanus DSM 20152(T) being their closest relative (97.7 and 97.6 % sequence similarity). Catalase, nitrate reduction and urease tests differentiated these strains from A. mediolanus. Cell-wall peptidoglycan composition, major menaquinone, predominant fatty acids and phospholipid pattern were typical of the genus Agromyces. The DNA G+C content determined for the type strain XIL01(T) was 72 mol%. Based on the data presented, a novel species Agromyces ulmi sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is XIL01(T) (=LMG 21954(T)=DSM 15747(T)).