microorganisms Article A Novel Moderately Thermophilic Type Ib Methanotroph Isolated from an Alkaline Thermal Spring in the Ethiopian Rift Valley Tajul Islam 1,2 , Amare Gessesse 3,4, Antonio Garcia-Moyano 1,5 , J. Colin Murrell 6 and Lise Øvreås 1,* 1 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgate 53 B, PO box, 7803, 5006 Bergen, Norway;
[email protected] (T.I.);
[email protected] (A.G.-M.) 2 Bergen Katedralskole, Kong Oscars gate 36, 5017 Bergen, Norway 3 Institute of Biotechnology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa PO box 1176, Ethiopia;
[email protected] 4 Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Botswana International University of Science and Technology, Private bag 16, Palapye 10071, Botswana 5 NORCE, Norwegian Research Centre, Marine Biotechnology, PO box 22, 5838 Bergen, Norway 6 School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK;
[email protected] * Correspondence:
[email protected] Received: 23 January 2020; Accepted: 10 February 2020; Published: 13 February 2020 Abstract: Aerobic moderately thermophilic and thermophilic methane-oxidizing bacteria make a substantial contribution in the control of global warming through biological reduction of methane emissions and have a unique capability of utilizing methane as their sole carbon and energy source. Here, we report a novel moderately thermophilic Methylococcus-like Type Ib methanotroph recovered from an alkaline thermal spring (55.4 ◦C and pH 8.82) in the Ethiopian Rift Valley. The isolate, designated LS7-MC, most probably represents a novel species of a new genus in the family Methylococcaceae of the class Gammaproteobacteria.