PHYLOGENETIC AND NARG ANALYSIS OF A HYPHOMICROBIUM ISOLATE

An obligately methylotrophic organism was isolated from a water well t hat manifested symptoms of biofouling, The isolate was appendaged and utilized methylamine, dimethylamine, trimethylamine, or methanol as th e sole carbon and energy source, The isolate exhibited hydroxypyruvate reductase activity, suggesting Cl-assimilation via the serine pathway , Fatty acid profiling indicated the predominance of 18:1 cis-fatty ac ids, The isolate did not grow anaerobically with nitrate as the final electron acceptor, Genomic DNA from the isolate did not hybridize agai nst the narG gene, which encodes the alpha subunit of dissimilatory ni trate reductase in Escherichia coli, The phenotypic data suggested the assignment of the isolate to the, genus Hyphomicrobium. The identific ation was supported by phylogenetic characterization based on 16S rRNA sequence comparisons of the isolate.