Table 1.
Phenotypic characteristics of member species of Methylomicrobium, Methylotuvimicrobium gen. nov., and Methylosarcina.
| Genus |
Methylomicrobium |
Methylotuvimicrobium gen. nov. |
Methylosarcina |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Methylomicrobium agile | Methylomicrobium album | Methylomicrobium lacus c.n. | Methylotuvimicrobium alcaliphilum c.n. | “Methylotuvimicrobium buryatense” c.n. | Methylotuvimicrobium japanense c.n. | Methylotuvimicrobium kenyense c.n. | Methylotuvimicrobium pelagicum c.n. | Methylosarcina fibrata | Methylosarcina quisquiliarum |
| Former name | NA | NA | Methylosarcina lacus | Methylomicrobium alcaliphilum | “Methylomicrobium buryatense” | Methylomicrobium japanense | Methylomicrobium kenyense | Methylomicrobium pelagicum | NA | NA |
| Type strain | ATCC 35068 | BG8 | LW14 | 20Z | 5B | NI | AMO1 | AA-23 | AML-C10 | AML-D4 |
| Type species | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Characteristics | ||||||||||
| Pigmentation | W to SL | W to SL | W to SL | W to SL | W to SL | W to SL | W to SL | W to SL | LB | LB |
| Motility | + | + | – | + | + | + | + | + | + | + |
| Cyst formation | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | + | + |
| Desiccation resistance | – | – | – | + | + | – | – | – | – | – |
| Growth occurs with 3.0% NaCl | – | – | NR | + | + | + | + | + | – | – |
| Temp. growth, range (°C) | 10–37 | 10–37 | 4–35 | NR | 4–45 | NR | NR | 10–30 | 22–37 | 22–32 |
| Temp. growth, optimum (°C) | 25–30 | 25–30 | 28–30 | NR | 28–30 | 15–37 | NR | 20–25 | NR | NR |
| Growth at 37°C | + | V | – | + | + | + | – | – | + | – |
| Growth at 45°C | – | – | NR | – | + | – | – | – | NR | NR |
| Heat resistance (80°C) | – | – | – | + | + | – | – | – | – | – |
| pH growth, range | 6–9 | 6–9 | 4–7 | 6.5–9.5 | 6–11 | NR | 9–10.5 | 6–8.5 | 5.0–9.0 | 5.5–9.0 |
| pH growth, optimum | 7 | 7 | 5.5–6.5 | 9 | 8.5–9.5 | 8.1 | 10 | 7 | NR | NR |
| pMMO | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | + |
| sMMO | – | – | – | – | + | + | – | – | – | – |
| Main fatty acid | C16:1 ω5t | C16:1 ω5t | C16:1 ω8c | C16:1 ω7c | C16:1 ω7c | C16:1 | NR | C16:1 ω5t | C16:1 ω5t | C16:1 ω7c |
| DNA G+C content (mol%) | 58.1–59.6 | 54.4–56.3 | 52–54.7 | 48–49 | 48–49 | 49 | 50.2 | 48.5 | 53.9–54.3 | 54–54.6 |
Data obtained from Bowman et al. (1995), Wise et al. (2001), Kalyuzhnaya et al. (2005), Bowman (2016a), and Kalyuzhnaya (2016a,b). c.n., combinatio nova; NA, not applicable; +, present/tested positive; –, absent/tested negative; V, variable among strains; W to SL, white to slightly cream; LB, light brown; NR, not reported; pMMO, particulate methane monooxygenase; sMMO, soluble methane monooxygenase.