Beutenbergia cavernae gen. nov., sp. nov., an L-lysine-containing actinomycete isolated from a cave.

Two aerobic, Gram-positive bacteria, strains HKI 0122T and HKI 0132, were isolated from a cave. Cells are not acid-fast, non-motile, non-spore-forming and exhibit a rod-coccus growth cycle. The cell wall peptidoglycan contains lysine in position 3 of the peptide subunit and an interpeptide bridge of L-Lys<--L-Glu. The major menaquinone is MK-8(H4), 13-methyl and 12-methyl tetradecanoic acids are the predominating fatty acids. The polar lipids consist of phosphatidylinositol, diphosphatidylglycerol and three unknown phospholipids. Mycolic acids are absent. The DNA base composition is 71 mol% G + C. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that strain HKI 0122T forms a novel taxon among the families and unassigned genera of the suborder Micrococcineae, within the order Actinomycetales. On the basis of the genotypic, chemotaxonomic, morphological and physiological characteristics of these two isolates it is proposed to assign strains HKI 0122T and HKI 0132 to a new genus and species for which the name Beutenbergia cavernae gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is HKI 0122T (= DSM 12333T).