Kitasatospora cheerisanensis sp. nov., a new species of the genus Kitasatospora that produces an antifungal agent

An actinomycete, strain YC75(T), which produced bafilomycin-like antifungal compounds, was identified as a member of the genus Kitasatospora on the ba sis of morphological and chemotaxonomic characteristics. The strain produce d the aerial and fragmenting vegetative mycelia consisting of straight chai ns of 20 or more smooth-surfaced spores. Submerged spores were formed in tr yptic soy broth. No soluble pigments were formed. Whole-cell hydrolysates c ontained glucose and mannose, but not galactose. The 16S rDNA sequence of Y C75(T) was compared with those of the other representative kitasatosporae a nd streptomycetes. Strain YC75(T) formed a significant monophyletic clade w ith Kitasatospora phosalacinea. The levels of DNA relatedness between strai n YC75(T) and representatives of the genus Kitasatospora ranged from 16 to 59% including K. phosalacinea (28 and 40%). It is clear from polyphasic evi dence that the isolate should be classified as Kitasatospora cheerisanensis sp. nov., whose type strain is YC75(T) (= KCTC 2395(T)). The presence of g alactose in whole-cell hydrolysates may not be a stable chemical marker for the genus Kitasatospora.