Polyphasic assignment of a highly proteolytic bacterium isolated from a spider to Serratia proteamaculans

Abstract

A bacterial strain named HY-3 that produces a highly active extracellular protease was isolated from the digestive tract of a spider, Nephila clavata. The bacterium was a Gram-negative, oxidase-negative, catalase-positive, nonhalophilic, nitrate-reducing, facultative anaerobe. Transmission and scanning electron microscopies demonstrated that the isolate was non-spore-forming, straight, rod-shaped, and motile by peritrichous flagella. The G+C content of the DNA was 57.0 mol%. The isoprenoid quinone type was ubiquinone with 8 isoprene units (Q-8). The morphological and biochemical characteristics including the predominant fatty acid and phospholipids profiles placed the isolate HY-3 in the family Enterobacteriaceae. Further biochemical characterization and phylogenetic studies including determination of an almost complete 16S ribosomal DNA sequence suggested that the bacterium was closely related to the genus Serratia. DNA-DNA hybridization analysis revealed that this extracellular protease-producing strain belongs to Serratia proteamaculans, which is also known for its association with insects.