Physiological and genomic properties of Thermus tenuipuniceus sp. nov., a novel slight reddish color member isolated from a terrestrial geothermal spring

Two closely related, thermophilic bacteria, designated strains YIM 76954^T and YIM 76947, were isolated from the Rehai Geothermal Field, Tengchong, Yunnan province, south-west China. Polyphasic approach and whole genome sequencing were used to determine the taxonomy status and genomic profiles of the novel strains. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the two isolates were closely related to Thermus scotoductus SE-1^T (97.1% sequence similarity), and T. amyloliquefaciens YIM 77409^T (96.6%). The strains could be differentiated from most recognized Thermus species by their whitish to slight reddish colony color, distinct DNA fingerprinting profiles and low ANI values. Cells stained Gram-negative, rod-shaped of diameter 0.2–0.5 μm and length 1.5–5.0 μm. Growth occurred at 50–75 °C, pH 6.0–9.0 and in the presence of up to 1.0% (w/v) NaCl concentration. Thiosulfate was found to enhance cell growth, besides improving the intensity of its colony color. Oxygen, nitrate, sulfur, and Fe(III) could be used as terminal electron acceptors for growth. MK-8 was the major respiratory menaquinone. Major fatty acids were iso-C_17:0, iso-C_15:0, anteiso-C_17:0, and anteiso-C_15:0. The genome size was 2.26 Mbp with 65.5% average GC content. A total of 2374 genes was predicted, comprising 2322 protein-coding and 52 RNA genes. On the basis of the polyphasic evidence presented, it is proposed that strain YIM 76954^T represents a novel species of the genus Thermus, for which the name Thermus tenuipuniceus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is YIM 76954^T (=JCM 30350^T = KCTC 4677^T).