Isolation and phylogenetic assignation of actinomycetes in the marine sediments from the Arctic Ocean

Actinomycetes in five marine sediments collected from the Arctic Ocean at depths of 43 to 3 050 m were cultivated using a variety of media. A total of 61 actinomycete colonies with substrate mycelia only were observed, and no colonies with aerial mycelia were observed under aerobic conditions at 15℃. From these colonies, 28 were selected to represent different morphological types.Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) was used to check the purity of isolates and select representatives for subsequent sequencing. Phylogentic analyses based on nearly full-length 16S ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) sequences indicated that the actinomycetes isolated were accommodated within genus Rhodococcus of family Nocardiaceae, genus Dietzia of family Dietziaceae,genera Janibacter and Terrabacter of family Instrasporangiaceae and genera Kocuria and Arthrobacter of family Micrococcaceae. One of the strains (P27-24) from the deep-sea sediment at depth of 3 050 m was found to be identical in 16S rDNA sequence(1474/1474)with the radiation-resistant Kocuria rosea ATCC 187^T isolated from air. More than halfofthe isolates showed the similarities ranging from 99.5% to 99.9% in 16S rDNA sequence to dibenzofran-degrading, butyl 2-ethylhexanoate-hydrolysising and nitrile-metabolizing actinomycetes. All the strains isolated were psychrotolerant bacteria and grew better on the media prepared with natural seawater than on the media prepared with deionized water. Three of them (Dietzia sp. P27-10, Rhodococcus sp. S11-3 and Rhodococcus sp.P11-5)had an obligate growth requirement for salt, confirming that these strains are indigenous marine actinomycetes.