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Pseudacidovorax intermedius NH-1, a novel marine nitrogen-fixing bacterium isolated from the South China Sea

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Abstract

We have taxonomically and phylogenetically characterized a novel nitrogen-fixing bacterial strain, NH-1, which was recently isolated from surface sediments of the South China Sea. The presence of the nifH gene was determined by PCR amplification. The strain NH-1 was found to belong to the genus Pseudacidovorax based on phenotypic characterization, 16S rDNA sequencing, G+C content and DNA–DNA hybridization. Isolate NH-1 was identified as Pseudacidovorax intermedius. In addition, we investigated the links between environmental factors and the nitrogenase activity of NH-1. We found that the nitrogen fixation capacity of NH-1 varied strongly when cells were grown with different ammonium ion and oxygen concentrations, amino acids and carbohydrates. This is the first report of the isolation of Pseudacidovorax from the ocean and the first study to explore the effects of different culture conditions on the nitrogenase activities of the isolate. This study provides evidence that marine nitrogen-fixing microorganisms are far more diverse than currently recognized.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Professor Y. Li of the State Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China, for providing the sediment samples used in this research. This research work was kindly supported by the Project of National Natural Science Foundation of China (31070082).

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  1. State Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China

    Li-hong Zhang & San-feng Chen

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  1. Li-hong Zhang
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  2. San-feng Chen
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Correspondence to San-feng Chen.

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Zhang, Lh., Chen, Sf. Pseudacidovorax intermedius NH-1, a novel marine nitrogen-fixing bacterium isolated from the South China Sea. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 28, 2839–2847 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-012-1093-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-012-1093-3

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