Microbiology Society, International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 1(61), p. 144-147, 2011
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A mesophilic, non-motile, hydrogenotrophic, rod-shaped methanogen, designated M2T, was isolated from Holocene permafrost sediments of the Kolyma lowland in the Russian Arctic. Cells were 3–6 μm long and 0.45–0.5 μm wide. Strain M2T grew on H2/CO2 and formate. Optimum conditions for growth were 37 °C, pH 6.8–7.2 and 0.1 M NaCl. The DNA G+C content was 38.1 mol%. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence comparison with known methanogens, strain M2T was affiliated with the genus Methanobacterium and was most closely related to Methanobacterium veterum MK4T and Methanobacterium bryantii DSM 863T (both 99 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity). However, no significant DNA–DNA relatedness was observed between strain M2T and these type strains. We propose that strain M2T represents a novel species, with the name Methanobacterium arcticum sp. nov., with type strain M2T (=DSM 19844T =VKM B-2371T).