Abstract

Noura El-Ahmady El-Naggar*, A. A. Sherief and Sarah Shawky Hamza

In the course of our screening programme for cellulolytic activities, a novel actinomycete, strain NEAE 102, which produced high cellulolytic activities, was isolated from a soil sample collected from Dakahliyah governorate, Egypt. It developed ivory aerial mycelium and faint yellow substrate mycelium on yeast extract - malt extract agar. The colour of the substrate mycelium was not sensitive to changes in pH. The organism produced long, straight sporechains with elongated, irregular and smooth-surfaced spores. Strain NEAE 102 did not produce melanin or any diffusible pigments. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that the strain NEAE 102 consistently falls into a clade together with Streptomyces venezuelae NBRC 12595(AB184836) and Streptomyces zaomyceticus cfcc3116 (FJ792553). Strain NEAE 102 is clearly distinct from S. venezuelae NBRC 12595(AB184836), S. zaomyceticus cfcc3116 (FJ792553) and other related Streptomyces species described in the literature by using a combination of morphological, cultural, and physiological characteristics. On the basis of its morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics, as well as 16S rRNA sequence, it is evident that strain NEAE 102 represents a novel species of the genus Streptomyces, for which the name Streptomyces aegyptia NEAE 102 is proposed.