Amycolatopsis

Abstract

A.my.co.la.top'sis. N.L. fem. n. Amycolata genus belonging to the order Actinomycetales; Gr. fem. n. opsis aspect, appearance; N.L. fem. n. Amycolatopsis that which appears similar to Amycolata.

Actinobacteria / Actinobacteria / Pseudonocardiales / Pseudonocardiaceae / Amycolatopsis

Aerobic to facultatively anaerobic, Gram-stain-positive, non-acid-fast, nonmotile, catalase-positive actinomycetes that form branching substrate hyphae which fragment into squarish and rod-shaped elements. When formed, aerial hyphae may be sterile or differentiate into chains of smooth-walled, squarish to ellipsoidal spore-like structures. Chemo-organotrophic to facultatively autotrophic. Grows on a broad range of organic and synthetic media. Mesophilic or thermophilic. Whole-organism hydrolysates are rich in meso-2,6-diaminopimelic acid, arabinose, and galactose. The peptidoglycan is of the A1γ type. Muramic acid moieties are N-acetylated. The diagnostic phospholipid is phosphatidylethanolamine (with or without phosphatidylmethylethanolamine) or phosphatidylmethylethanolamine with variable occurrence of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, and phosphatidylinositol mannosides; contains complex mixtures of saturated and branched chain fatty acids. Does not contain mycolic acids. The phylogenetic position of Amycolatopsis, as determined by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, is in the family Pseudonocardiaceae.

Common in arid soils but has also been isolated from activated sludge, equine placentas, and from clinical and plant material.

DNA G+C content (mol%): 66–75 (T_m; HPLC).

Type species: Amycolatopsis orientalis (Pittenger and Brigham 1956) Lechevalier, Prauser, Labeda and Ruan 1986, 35^VP.