A novel strain, designated HY-50RT , isolated from soil of a Euphrates poplar (Populus euphratica) forest in Xinjiang, China, was characterized using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Cells of the isolate were Gram-reaction-negative, strictly aerobic, rod-shaped, non-motile, oxidase-negative and catalase-positive. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the isolate was a member of the phylum Bacteroidetes, its closest relatives being Niastella populi THYL-44 T (93.6 % similarity), Flavisolibacter ginsengisoli Gsoil T was most closely related to members of the family Chitinophagaceae within the phylum Bacteroidetes. The strain was, therefore, subjected to further taxonomic investigation, the results of which suggest that strain HY-50RT represents a novel species of a novel genus in the family Chitinophagaceae.To isolate the strain, a soil sample was serially diluted with sterilized water and the dilutions were plated onto R2A agar (Difco) and incubated at 30 uC for 4 days. Growth of strain HY-50RT was also evaluated on nutrient agar (NA, Difco), tryptic soy agar (TSA, Difco), 0.16TSA and MacConkey agar (Difco) at 30 u C. As strain HY-50R T grew well on NA, R2A, TSA and 0.16TSA, it was routinely cultured on 0.16TSA at 30 u C.Colony morphology was observed visually and cell morphology and motility were observed using phase-contrastThe GenBank/EMBL/DDBJ accession number for the 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain HY-50R T is HM130561.One supplementary figure is available with the online version of this paper. microscopy (Olympus BX51) using two-day-old cultures grown on 0.16TSA at 30 u C. Gram-staining was performed using the modified Hucker method (Gerhardt et al., 1994). Oxidase activity was evaluated via the oxidation of 1 % p-aminodimethylaniline oxalate. Catalase activity was determined by measuring bubble production after the addition of 3 % (v/v) hydrogen peroxide solution. Tests for the hydrolysis of starch (1 %, w/v), cellulose (0.1 %, w/v), chitin from crab shells (1 %, w/v) and casein (5 %, w/v) were carried out as described by Smibert & Krieg (1994). Growth under anaerobic conditions was determined by incubation at 30 u C on 0.16TSA for 10 days in a GasPak (BBL) jar. Growth at 4, 10, 15, 30, 37 and 42 u C was tested on 0.16TSA. Growth at different pH levels was determined on 0.16TSA adjusted to pH 4-10 at intervals of 1 pH unit before sterilization (Xu et al., 2005). Tolerance of NaCl was determined on 0.16TSA supplemented with 1-5 % (w/v) NaCl at intervals of 1 %. The presence of flexirubin-type pigments was tested spectrophotometrically as described previously (Güde, 1980) using 20 % KOH. Enzyme activities and biochemical characteristics were determined by using API 20 NE, API 20 E, API ZYM and API ID 32 GN test kits (bioMérieux) according to the manufacturer's instructions.Menaquinones were extracted from lyophilized cells and identified using the method described by Xie & Yokota (2003) using HPLC (UltiMate 3000, Dionex). Polyamines were analysed as described previously (Schenke...

Altererythrobacter xinjiangensis sp. nov., isolated from desert sand, and emended description of the genus Altererythrobacter ). An emended description of the genus Altererythrobacter is provided.

A Gram-staining-negative, yellow-coloured, strictly aerobic, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped bacterium, designated HS39 T , isolated from a soil sample collected from a natural Populus euphratica forest in Xinjiang, China, was characterized using a polyphasic approach. The isolate grew optimally at 30-37 6C, at pH 6.5-8.0 and with 0-3 % NaCl. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain HS39T revealed that it is a member of the genus Sphingobacterium.Sphingobacterium mizutaii ATCC 33299 T was the nearest relative (94.0 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity). The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 40.2 mol%. The major fatty acids were iso-C 15 : 0 , iso-C 17 : 0 3-OH and summed feature 3 (comprising C 16 : 1 v6c and/or C 16 : 1 v7c). The predominant isoprenoid quinone was MK-7. On the basis of phenotypic properties and phylogenetic inference, strain HS39 T represents a novel species of the genus Sphingobacterium, for which the name Sphingobacterium shayense sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is HS39 T (5CCTCC AB 209006 T 5NRRL B-59203 T ).

A novel strain, HY-22R T , was isolated from soil of a Euphrates poplar forest in Xinjiang, China. The cells were Gram-positive-staining, rod-shaped and motile by means of peritrichous flagella. Growth occurred at 10-37 6C (optimum 30 6C), at pH 7.0-8.0 (optimum pH 7.0) and with 0-1 % NaCl. A phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain HY-22RT was closely related to Cohnella phaseoli GSPC1 T (96.3 % sequence similarity). The major respiratory quinone was MK-7 and the predominant fatty acids were anteiso-C 15 : 0 , iso-C 15 : 0 , iso-C 16 : 0 and C 16 : 0 . The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine. The DNA G+C content was 49.6 mol%. On the basis of the phylogenetic, physiological and chemotaxonomic data, strain HY-22R

Niastella populi sp. nov., isolated from soil of Euphrates poplar (Populus euphratica) forest, and emended description of the genus Niastella A novel bacterial strain, designated THYL-44 T , was isolated from the soil of a Euphrates poplar (Populus euphratica) forest in Xinjiang, China. The cells were strictly aerobic, Gram-stainingnegative, non-flagellated, non-motile and filamentous. Growth occurred at 17-37 6C (optimum 30 6C), at pH 5.0-8.0 (optimum pH 7.0) and with 0-1 % NaCl (w/v; optimum 0 %). Flexirubin pigments were not produced. A phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain THYL-44 T was closely related to Niastella koreensis KACC 11465 T (95.5 % sequence similarity). The major respiratory quinone was MK-7 and the predominant cellular fatty acids were iso-C 15 : 0 (28.6 %), iso-C 17 : 0 3-OH (23.9 %) and iso-C 15 : 1 G (17.4 %). The DNA G+C content was 45.2 mol%. Therefore, the phylogenetic, physiological and chemotaxonomic data demonstrated that strain THYL-44 T represents a novel species of the genus Niastella, for which the name Niastella populi sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is THYL-44 T (5CCTCC AB 208238 T 5KCTC 22560 T ). On the basis of new data, an emended description of the genus Niastella is also proposed.The genus Niastella, containing Niastella koreensis (type species) and Niastella yeongjuensis, was proposed by Weon et al. (2006) for bacterial strains isolated from soil cultivated with Korean ginseng. These organisms are Gram-staining-negative, aerobic, filamentous bacteria that are motile by gliding, that do not produce flexirubin pigments and do not reduce nitrate. Their cellular fatty acids include large amounts of iso-C 15 : 0 , iso-C 15 : 1 G and iso-C 17 : 0 3-OH and their major respiratory quinone is MK-7. Phylogenetically, the genus Niastella is a member of the family Chitinophagaceae, phylum Bacteroidetes (http:// www.bacterio.net).In the present study, a novel member of the genus Niastella was characterized. Strain THYL-44 T was isolated from the soil of a Euphrates poplar (Populus euphratica) forest (84 u 159~84 u 309 E, 40 u 09~40 u 559 N) in Xinjiang, China. The soil sample was diluted with sterile water and the dilutions were plated onto 0.16TSA (tryptic soy agar; Difco) plates. The strain was isolated after incubation at 30 u C for one week. However, it was later noticed that the isolate grew better on R2A agar (Difco).Cell morphology was examined by phase-contrast microscopy (BX51; Olympus) and transmission electron microscopy (8100; Hitachi), using cells negatively stained with 2 % (w/v) phosphotungstic acid after air drying. Gram staining was carried out according to the classical Gram procedure described by Doetsch (1981). Motility was examined according to the method of Bernardet et al. (2002). Growth at 4, 17, 22, 25, 30, 37, 42 and 50 u C and at pH 5.0-10.0 (at 1.0 pH unit intervals) was tested after 5 days of incubation in R2A broth. The pH was adjusted using 1 M HCl or 1 M NaOH and the broth was then filter-sterilized at 0.2 ...