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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, October 2002, p. 5005-5011, Vol. 68, No. 10
0099-2240/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.68.10.5005-5011.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Widespread and Persistent Populations of a Major New Marine Actinomycete Taxon in Ocean Sediments

Tracy J. Mincer, Paul R. Jensen, Christopher A. Kauffman, and William Fenical*

Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093-0204

Received 12 March 2002/ Accepted 12 July 2002

A major taxon of obligate marine bacteria within the order Actinomycetales has been discovered from ocean sediments. Populations of these bacteria (designated MAR 1) are persistent and widespread, spanning at least three distinct ocean systems. In this study, 212 actinomycete isolates possessing MAR 1 morphologies were examined and all but two displayed an obligate requirement of seawater for growth. Forty-five of these isolates, representing all observed seawater-requiring morphotypes, were partially sequenced and found to share characteristic small-subunit rRNA signature nucleotides between positions 207 and 468 (Escherichia coli numbering). Phylogenetic characterization of seven representative isolates based on almost complete sequences of genes encoding 16S rRNA (16S ribosomal DNA) yielded a monophyletic clade within the family Micromonosporaceae and suggests novelty at the genus level. This is the first evidence for the existence of widespread populations of obligate marine actinomycetes. Organic extracts from cultured members of this new group exhibit remarkable biological activity, suggesting that they represent a prolific resource for biotechnological applications.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA 92093-0204. Phone: (858) 534-2133. Fax: (858) 558-3702. E-mail: wfenical{at}ucsd.edu.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, October 2002, p. 5005-5011, Vol. 68, No. 10
0099-2240/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.68.10.5005-5011.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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