Table 2.
Comparative property of cellulotrophic natronoarchaea with the nearest phylogenetic relatives in Natrialbaceae: Saliphagus infecundisoli[25], Natribaculum breve[13] and Halovivax asiaticus[4]. PGP-Me – phosphatidylglycerophosphate methylester; PG – phosphatidylglycerols; GL-PG – phosphatidylglycose; 2GL – diglycosyl; PGS – phosphatidylglycerol sulfate; PGP – phosphatidylglycerophosphate; GL – glycolipid; PL – phospholipid; glycolipids: TGD-1 (galactosyl mannosyl glucosyl diether), S2-DGD (disulfated mannosyl glucosyl diether). Antibiotics: s, streptomycin; k, kanamycin; a, ampicillin; t, tetracyclin; v, vancomycin; g, gentamycin; r, rifampicin;. e, erythromycin, c, chrolarmphenicol.
| Property | “Natronobiforma cellulositropha” (6 strains) | Saliphagus infecundisoli | Natribaculum breve | Halovivax asiaticus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cell morphology | Thin flat motile rods on cellobiose; cocci with thick cell wall on cellulose | Cocci | Motile pleomorphic rods | Pleomorphic nonmotile, from rods to discs |
| Pigmentation | Pink | Pink | Red | Pale-pink |
| Anaerobic growth | - (With cellobiose as substrate) | – | Contradictorya | – |
| Growth substrates: | ||||
| Polymers | Insoluble cellulose, xylane, chitin (3 strains), β-1,4 glucans and mannan | Starch, dextrin | Starchb, gelatin hydrolysis | Proteolyticc |
| Sugars | Cellobiose, maltose | Glucose, mannose, raffinose, sucrose, trehalose | Glucose | Lactose, raffinose, xylose, trehalose |
| Amino acids | – | Glutamate, aspartate, ornithine, lysine | ||
| Organic acids | – | Pyruvate, succinate | Pyruvate | Acetate |
| Esterase activity | – | Tween-20 | – | Tween-80 |
| Catalase/oxidase | +/+ | +/+ | +/Weak | |
| Antibiotic resistance | s, k, a, t, v, g, e, p (50–100 mg l−1) r, c (<50 mg l−1) | a, v, g, e, c, p (discs) | s, k, a, t, v, g, e, c, p, r (discs) | s, k, a, t, v, g, e, c, p (discs) |
| Salinity range (opt.) M Na+ | 2.5–4.8 (4.0) | 2–6 (2.5–3.0) | 0.9–5.1 (2.6) | 1.6–4.8 (2.5) |
| Mg requirement | Low | Low | Low | Low |
| pH range (opt.) | 7.5–9.9 (8.5–9.0) | 6.0–8.5 (7.0–7.5) | 6.0–10e (7.0–7.5) |
6.5–8.5 |
| Temperature (°C) | 18–53d (opt. 43) | 25–50 (opt. 37) | 30–62 (opt. 37) | 25–45 (opt. 37) |
| Core lipids | C20–C20, C20–C25 | nd | nd | C20–C20, C20–C25 |
| Polar lipids | PG, PGP-Me, GL-PG, 2GL, PGP | PG, PGP-Me, PGS, three GL | PG, PGP-Me, TGD-1, S2-DGD | PG, PGP-Me, two PL, four GL |
| G + C, mol% | 65.4–65.5 | 64.4 | 63.9 | 60.3 |
| Habitat | Hypersaline alkaline lakes (s–w Siberia, n–e Mongolia, California) | Saline soil (China) | Saline soil (China) | Hypersaline lake (Inner Mongolia) |
nd – no data.
It is stated that it grows anaerobically with nitrate, and next – that it can not reduce nitrate to nitrite or nitrite to N2.
Since this organism did not utilize maltose, its capability to grow with starch is questionable.
Growth on polymers was not investigated.
At pH 8.5.
The final pH is not measured, the high pH limit is not justified.