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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC AND EVOLUTIONARY MICROBIOLOGY logo International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology

Volume 75, Issue 6

sp. nov., a novel hydrogen-producing bacterium isolated from a deep diatomaceous shale formation No Access

Abstract

In the deep subsurface Miocene groundwater of Horonobe, Hokkaido, Japan, we isolated strain Z1-71ᵀ, an obligately anaerobic, Gram-stain-negative, non-motile bacterium with rod-shaped morphology (2.7–4.8 µm × 0.4 µm). This strain could grow at 10–42 °C (optimum, 30–35 °C), over a pH range of 6.0–9.0 (optimum, pH 7.0–7.2) and in the presence of 0–30 g l NaCl (optimum, 5–15 g l). Physiologically, strain Z1-71ᵀ displayed positive catalase activity but negative oxidase reaction, with notable hydrogen production during -glucose metabolism. Chemotaxonomic analysis revealed MK-7 as the sole respiratory quinone, while cellular lipid profiling identified four unidentified polar lipids, one unidentified phospholipid, one unidentified aminolipid and one unidentified glycolipid. The predominant fatty acids comprised C (23.4%), C c (13.8%), anteiso-C (6.9%) and iso-C 3-OH (6.6%). Genomic characterization determined a genome size of 5.7 Mb with a G+C content of 45.9 mol%. Comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences positioned strain Z1-71ᵀ within the family , showing the highest sequence similarity to A06 (95.0%), followed by SCSIO N0430 (94.6%), BM_7 (94.3%) and FA423 (93.6%). Digital DNA–DNA hybridization and orthologous average nucleotide identity tool using USEARCH (OrthoANIu) analyses between strain Z1-71ᵀ and A06 yielded values of 20.7% and 75.8%, respectively, confirming genomic distinction. Based on these phylogenetic and phenotypic characteristics, we propose strain Z1-71ᵀ (=DSM 117644ᵀ=JCM 36072ᵀ) as the type strain of a novel species, sp. nov. This discovery not only expands our understanding of microbial diversity in deep terrestrial subsurface environments but also highlights the ecological significance of hydrogen-producing anaerobes in these previously underexplored habitats.

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Keyword(s): Gaoshiqia , Horonobe , hydrogen , methanogenesis , novel species and terrestrial subsurface environment
Funding
This study was supported by the:
  • Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)
© 2025 The Authors
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2025-06-04
2026-01-16

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Gaoshiqia hydrogeniformans sp. nov., a novel hydrogen-producing bacterium isolated from a deep diatomaceous shale formation
Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 75, 006802 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1099/ijsem.0.006802
/content/journal/ijsem/10.1099/ijsem.0.006802
/content/journal/ijsem/10.1099/ijsem.0.006802
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