designated
YIM 90479, YIM 90480T and YIM 90600T, were
isolated from a soil sample collected from Baicheng salt
field in Xinjiang province, North-west China, after 3 weeks
of incubation at 37 uC on cellulose-casein multi-salt
(CCMS) medium as described by Tang et al. (2008). The
three strains were maintained on a modified ISP medium 4
slant containing 15% (w/v) NaCl at 4 uC or in 20% (v/v)
glycerol suspension at 280 uC. Biomass for chemical and
molecular studies was obtained by cultivating in shaken
flasks (~150 r.p.m.) using ISP 4 medium, or ISP 4 agar,
containing 15% (w/v) NaCl (pH 7.5) at 37 uC for 2 weeks.
A. iraqiensis AS 4.1193T was obtained from the CGMCC
and A. iraqiensis DSM 44640T, S. halophila DSM 44411T, A.
halophila DSM 43834T and A. mortivallis DSM 44261T were
obtained from the DSMZ and were used as reference
strains for comparing cultural, physiological and chemotaxonomic
characteristics or for DNA–DNA hybridization
tests.