Methylobacterium haplocladii sp. nov. and Methylobacterium brachythecii sp. nov., isolated from bryophytes

Pink-pigmented, facultatively methylotrophic bacteria, strains 87e^T and 99b^T, were isolated from the bryophytes Haplocladium microphyllum and Brachythecium plumosum, respectively. The cells of both strains were Gram-reaction-negative, motile, non-spore-forming rods. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, strains 87e^T and 99b^T were found to be related to Methylobacterium organophilum ATCC 27886^T (97.1 % and 97.7%, respectively). Strains 87e^T and 99b^T showed highest 16S rRNA gene similarity to Methylobacterium gnaphalii 23e^T (98.3 and 99.0%, respectively). The phylogenetic similarities to all other species of the genus Methylobacterium with validly published names were less than 97%. Major cellular fatty acids of both strains were C_18:1ω7c and C_18:0. The results of DNA-DNA hybridization, phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA and cpn60 gene sequences, fatty acid profiles, whole-cell matrix- assisted, laser-desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS) analysis, and physiological and biochemical tests allowed genotypic and phenotypic differentiation of strains 87e^T and 99b^T from their phylogenetically closest relatives. We propose that strains 87e^T and 99b^T represent novel species within the genus Methylobacterium, for which the names Methylobacterium haplocladii sp. nov. (type strain 87e^T=DSM 24195^T=NBRC 107714^T) and Methylobacterium brachythecii sp. nov. (type strain 99b^T=DSM 24105^T=NBRC 107710^T) are proposed.