Streptoalloteichus, a new genus of the family Actinoplanaceae

Abstract

A new genus Streptoalloteichus is proposed in the family Actinoplanaceae to distinguish species of actinomycetes which form short or long spore-chains on aerial mycelium, bears oval sporangia with motile spores and has a characteristic cell-wall composition of strain C677-91 type. Strain C677-91 (ATCC 31217, FERM-P No. 4070) was named Streptoalloteichus hindustanus gen. nov. and sp. nov. The actinomycete strain C677-91 produces spore-chain clusters and sclerotia in the aerial mycelium which are morphologically similar to those found in some species of Streptomyces. The cultural characteristics of the strain on agar media also resemble those of Streptomyces species and the colonies have no distinct color. Strain C677-91 produces sporangia or sporangia-like vesicles which contain one to several spores in the vegetative mycelium. The sporangiospores possess a single long polar flagellum and are motile. The cell wall of strain C677-91 contains meso-alpha,epsilon-diaminopimelic acid, alanine, glutamic acid, galactose, mannose, rhamnose and glucosamine. Strain C677-91 has several important characteristics in common with Streptomyces tenebrarius including the production of nebramycin factors but the latter strain does not produce sporangia.