Corynebacterium terpenotabidum sp. nov., a bacterium capable of degrading squalene

The taxonomic status of Arthrobacter sp, Y-11(T), which was described as a squalene-degrading bacterium, was investigated by chemotaxonomic and geneti c methods, The strain possesses wall chemotype IV, MK-S(H-2) as the predomi nant menaquinone, mycolic acids, and straight-chain, saturated and monounsa turated fatty acids, with considerable amounts of tuberculostearic acid. Th e DNA G+C content is 67.5 mol%, 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and quantit ative DNA-DNA hybridization experiments provided strong evidence that strai n Y-11(T) represents a new species within the genus Corynebacterium, for wh ich the name Corynebacterium terpenotabidum sp, nov. is proposed. The type strain of C, terpenotabidum is strain Y-11(T) (=IFO 14764(T)).