Me.thy.lo.pi'la. N.L. neut. n.
methyl
, the methyl group; L. fem. n.
pila
, ball or sphere; N.L.
Methylopila
, methyl‐using sphere.
Pseudomonadota / Alphaproteobacteria / Rhizobiales / Methylopilaceae / Methylopila
The genus
Methylopila
accommodates strictly aerobic facultatively methylotrophic bacteria. Cells are Gram‐stain‐negative, rod shaped, asporogenous, and motile or nonmotile; occur singly or in pairs; multiply by binary fission; and contain poly‐β‐hydroxybutyrate granules. Utilize methanol and methylamine as well as a variety of multicarbon compounds as carbon and energy sources. Assimilate C
1
compounds by isocitrate lyase‐negative variant of the serine pathway. Growth factors are not required. Ammonium salts, nitrate, urea, peptone, some amino acids, and methylated amines are utilized as nitrogen sources. Do not grow on CH
4
or H
2
/CO
2
/O
2
. Oxidase‐, catalase‐, and urease‐positive. Indole is formed from
l
‐tryptophan on mineral medium with methanol as the sole carbon and energy source and KNO
3
as the sole nitrogen source. Acids are produced from sugars oxidatively. Growth occurs at 10–37°C (but not at 42°C), pH 5.0–10.0. The major fatty acid is C
18:1
ω7
c
. The major quinone is Q‐10. The genome sizes are 3.72–4.14 Mb. According to Genome Taxonomy Database (GTDB), the genus belongs to the phylum
Pseudomonadota
, class
Alphaproteobacteria
, order
Rhizobiales
, and family
Methylopilaceae
. Representatives of this genus inhabit phyllosphere and rhizosphere of various plants, fruits, and activated sludge, polluted and natural soils.
DNA G + C content (mol%)
: 64.5–70.4 (
T
m
and genome analyses).
Type species
:
Methylopila capsulata
Doronina et al. 1998
VP
.