Isolation and some properties of newly isolated oxalate-degrading Pandoraea sp. OXJ-11 from soil

AIMS: To isolate and characterize an oxalate-degrading Pandoraea sp. OXJ-11. METHODS AND RESULTS: A new bacterium Pandoraea sp. OXJ-11 was isolated from soil samples, which can grow in the medium with oxalate as the sole carbon and energy source. The isolate OXJ-11 is Gram-negative straight rod. It occurs singly and is motile by means of a double polar flagellum. Catalase is positive and nitrate is not reduced. It grows aerobically and the optimum growth temperature and the optimum pH are at 30 degrees C and pH 6.0, respectively. The polyphasic taxonomic data along with 16S rRNA sequence comparison demonstrate that the isolate OXJ-11 should belong to the genus Pandoraea and represent a new member in this family. CONCLUSIONS: Oxalate could be degraded and the oxalate-degrading enzyme activity was detected when the isolate OXJ-11 grew in the medium with oxalate as carbon source. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Oxalate-degrading Pandoraea sp. OXJ-11 would be beneficial to the potential application in the control of sclerotinia stem rot in economically important plants caused by fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, and in making plants resistant to the white mold disease by oxalate-degrading enzyme transgene.