Gordonia amicalis sp nov., a novel dibenzothiophene-desulphurizing actinomycete

The taxonomic position of a dibenzothiophene-desulphurizing soil actinomyce te was established using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. The organism, str ain IEGM(T), was shown to have chemical and morphological properties typica l of members of the genus Gordonia. The tested strain formed a distinct phy letic line within the evolutionary radiation occupied by the genus Gordonia , with Gordonia alkanivorans DSM 44369(T), Gordonia desulfuricans NCIMB 408 16(T) and Gordonia rubropertincta DSM 43197(T) as the most closely related organisms. Strain IEGM(T) has a range of phenotypic properties that disting uish it from representatives of all of the validly described species of Gor donia. It was also sharply distinguished from the type strains of Gordonia desulfuricans and Gordonia rubropertincta on the basis of DNA-DNA relatedne ss data. The combined genotypic and phenotypic data show that strain IEGM(T ) merits recognition as a new species of Gordonia. The name proposed for th e new species is Gordonia amicalis; the type strain is IEGM(T) (= DSM 44461 (T) = KCTC 9899(T)).