David Coil edited Results and Discussion.md  almost 9 years ago

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The major cellular fatty acids of strain Coronado(T) are C18:1\(\omega\)7cis (56.6%) and C16:0 (20.3%). Other fatty acids found in significant amounts (>1%) are 2-OH-C14:0 (4.8%), C16:1\(\omega\)5cis (1.1%), C16:1\(\omega\)7cis (9.8%), C17:1\(\omega\)6cis (2%), C18:1\(\omega\)5cis (1.1%), and C18:0 (1.2%). The fatty acid profile of strain Coronado(T) fits generally within the ranges described for members of the most closely related genera (_Erythrobacter_, _Porphyrobacter_ and _Erythromicrobium_, comparison data from \cite{Hiraishi_2002}). The two exceptions to this are a slightly higher level of C14:0 than average and a much higher level of C16:0 than average. However, it is difficult to compare across studies since variation in growth conditions can significantly influence the fatty acid profile.  The major respiratory quinone is ubiquinone 10 (92%), as it is for all members of the _Erythrobacteraceae_ family. The predominant polar lipid is phosphatidylglycerol, with significant amounts of sphingoglycolipid and phosphatidylethanolamine. Smaller amounts of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, and two unidentified phospholipids were also observed (Figure 3).  **Conclusions**  Strain Coronado(T) clearly falls within the _Erythrobacteraceae_ family, based on both phylogenetic analysis and physical characteristics (notably fatty acid profile, carotenoid production, major respiratory quinone, and GC content). Placement within the family is more ambiguous, as shown by the trees in FIGURE ???. While mostly closely related to the _Porphyrobacter_ genus, Coronado (T) is sometimes found within a polyphyletic clade containing other genera (_Erythrobacter_, and _Erythromicrobium_). The low percentage identity of the 16S rRNA gene is reflected in the long branch length of Coronado (T) and the fact that it is usually basal to the other _Porphyrobacter_ species. However, Coronado(T) does share a number of characteristics with _Porphyrobacter_, including the fatty acid profile, polar lipid composition, catalase activity, etc. The largest differences are the tolerance for growth at lower temperatures, elevated C16:0, and the lack of bacteriochlorophyll _a_ (for the latter of which we have proposed emending the genus description). These characteristics, in combination with the phylogenetic analysis, lead us to propose that Coronado (T) be classified as _Porphyrobacter mercurialis_ sp. nov. We are aware that a future in depth polyphasic comparative study and/or a genome sequencing based taxonomic revision of the family may merit a distinct genus for this this strain.