Lutibacter profundi sp. nov., isolated from a deep-sea hydrothermal system on the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge and emended description of the genus Lutibacter.

A bacterial strain designated LP1 was isolated from a microbial mat growing on the surface of a black smoker chimney at the Loki's Castle hydrothermal system, which is located on the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences positioned strain LP1 within the family Flavobacteriaceae with Lutibacterholmesii as the closest relative (97.5 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity). Strain LP1 was rod-shaped, Gram-reaction-negative and non-motile. It grew in a modified artificial seawater medium supplemented with tryptone and vitamins at pH 5.5-7.5 (optimum pH 6.0-6.5), within a temperature range of 13-34 °C (optimum 23 °C), and under microaerobic conditions. The most abundant fatty acids (>10 %) were iso-C15 : 0 (25.2 %) and iso-C15 : 0 3-OH (14.5 %). The genome of strain LP1 has a DNA G+C content of 29.8 mol%. Based on the results of the polyphasic characterization presented here, strain LP1 is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Lutibacter, for which the name Lutibacter profundi sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is LP1 (=DSM 100437 =JCM 30585). An emended description of the genus Lutibacter is also provided to fit the description of strain LP1.