The DNA base composition and fatty acid constitution of some gram-positive pleomorphic soil bacteria

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Abstract

The DNA base composition and fatty acid constitution of 28 strains of predominantly soil bacteria belonging to the genera Arthrobacter, Corynebacterium, Brevibacterium and Nocardia were determined. The majority of Arthrobacter strains possessed a %GC of 66.2–72.5 and C15.0 anteiso-branched acids as major fatty acids. These results were also typical of the Brevibacterium species. A. simplex, A. tumescens and B. ammoniagenes, however, all possessed C16 and C18 fatty acids as major acids. A. simplex and A. tumescens showed a higher %GC than the other Arthrobacter species, and B. ammoniagenes possessed a much lower %GC than any of the Arthrobacter or Brevibacterium species. The Nocardia species all showed a majority of C16 and C18 fatty acids and a %GC range of 67.8–71.6. Of the five Corynebacterium species studied, only C.fascians gave similar results to those for C. diphtheriae. C. michiganense, C. insidiosum and C. sepedonicum differed widely from C. diphtheriae with regard to both fatty acid composition and %GC. A possible grouping of these and related bacteria is proposed using the present results and the suggestions of other workers.

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    ∗

    Present address: Cawthron Institute, Nelson, New Zealand.

    †

    Laboratory of Experimental Endocrinology and Metabolism, Medical Research Council, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.

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