Zeaxanthinibacter enoshimensis gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel zeaxanthin-producing marine bacterium of the family Flavobacteriaceae, isolated from seawater off Enoshima Island, Japan

A novel marine, Gram-negative, yellow-pigmented, rod-shaped, strictly aerobic, gliding and oxidase- and catalase-positive bacterium (strain TD-ZE3(T)) was isolated from a seawater sample collected off the Pacific coastline of Japan near Enoshima Island (Fujisawa, Kanagawa). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain TD-ZE3(T) belonged to a distinct lineage in the family Flavobacteriaceae, with 90.5 % sequence similarity with the nearest species Robiginitalea biformata. Strain TD-ZE3(T) could be distinguished from other members of the family Flavobacteriaceae by a number of chemotaxonomic and phenotypic characteristics. The DNA G+C content was 46.5 mol%. The major fatty acids were iso-C(15 : 0), iso-C(17 : 0) 3-OH and iso-C(17 : 1)omega9c and menaquinone-6 was the only respiratory quinone. Zeaxanthin was the major carotenoid pigment produced; flexirubin-type pigments were not produced. Strain TD-ZE3(T) degraded gelatin, starch and Tween 80. Based on its unique phenotypic, genotypic and phylogenetic features, strain TD-ZE3(T) represents a novel taxon, for which the name Zeaxanthinibacter enoshimensis gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is TD-ZE3(T) (=NBRC 101990(T)=CCUG 53613(T)).