Isolation of two novel marine ethylene-assimilating bacteria, Haliea species ETY-M and ETY-NAG, containing particulate methane monooxygenase-like genes

Two novel ethylene-assimilating bacteria, strains ETY-M and ETY-NAG, were isolated from seawater around Japan. The characteristics of both strains were investigated, and phylogenetic analyses of their 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that they belonged to the genus Haliea. In C1-4 gaseous hydrocarbons, both strains grew only on ethylene, but degraded ethane, propylene, and propane in addition to ethylene. Methane, n-butane, and i-butane were not utilized or degraded by either strain. Soluble methane monooxygenase-type genes, which are ubiquitous in alkene-assimilating bacteria for initial oxidation of alkenes, were not detected in these strains, although genes similar to particulate methane monooxygenases (pMMO)/ammonia monooxygenases (AMO) were observed. The phylogenetic tree of the deduced amino acid sequences formed a new clade near the monooxygenases of ethane-assimilating bacteria similar to other clades of pMMOs in type I, type II, and Verrucomicrobia methanotrophs and AMOs in alpha and beta proteobacteria.