Streptomyces youssoufiensis sp. nov., isolated from a Moroccan phosphate mine
A novel actinomycete, strain X4T, was isolated from a phosphate mine in Youssoufia, 100 km north of Marrakesh, Morocco. The taxonomic status of this strain was evaluated by a polyphasic approach. Strain X4T had white aerial mycelium with Rectiflexibiles spore chains bearing smooth-surfaced spores and did not produce diffusible pigments. Chemotaxonomic analysis showed that the cell wall of strain X4T contained ll-diaminopimelic acid and glycine. Phylogenetic analysis based on the almost complete 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that strain X4T belongs to the Group I streptomycetes, branching off next to Streptomyces ramulosus NRRL B-2714T and Streptomyces kasugaensis M338-M1T. DNA–DNA relatedness and phenotypic data enabled strain X4T to be distinguished from the phylogenetically most closely related type strains. It is therefore proposed that strain X4T represents a novel species of the genus Streptomyces, for which the name Streptomyces youssoufiensis sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is X4T ( = CCMM B709T = DSM 41920T).