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Screening and isolation of halophilic bacteria producing extracellular hydrolyses from Howz Soltan Lake, Iran

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Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology

Abstract

Screening of bacteria from different areas of Howz Soltan playa, a hypersaline lake in the central desert zone of Iran, led to the isolation of 231 moderately halophilic bacteria, which were able to grow optimally in media with 5–15% of salt, and 49 extremely halophilic microorganisms that required 20–25% of salt for optimal growth. These isolates produced a great variety of extracellular hydrolytic enzymes. A total of 195, 177, 100, 95, 92, 68, 65, 33, and 28 strains produced lipases, amylases, proteases, inulinases, xylanases, cellulases, pullulanases, DNases, and pectinases, respectively. In comparison with gram-negative bacteria, the gram-positive halophilic rods, showed more hydrolytic activities. Several combined activities were showed by some of these isolates. One strain presented 9 hydrolytic activities, 4 strains presented 8 hydrolytic activities, 10 strains presented 7 hydrolytic activities and 29 strains presented 6 hydrolytic activities. No halophilic isolate without hydrolytic activity has been found in this study. According to their phenotypic characteristics and comparative partial 16S rRNA sequence analysis, the halophilic strains were identified as members of the genera: Salicola, Halovibrio, Halomonas, Oceanobacillus, Thalassobacillus, Halobacillus, Virgibacillus, Gracilibacillus, Salinicoccus, and Piscibacillus. Most lipase and DNase producers were members of the genera Gracilibacillus and Halomonas, respectively, whereas most of the isolates able to produce hydrolytic enzymes such as amylase, protease, cellulose (CMCase) and inulinase, belonged to gram-positive genera, like Gracilibacillus, Thalassobacillus, Virgibacillus, and Halobacillus.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, Science and Research Campus of Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

    R. Rohban

  2. Extremophiles Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, College of Sciences, University of Tehran, P.O. Box 14155-6455, Tehran, Iran

    Mohammad Ali Amoozegar

  3. Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain

    A. Ventosa

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  1. R. Rohban
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  2. Mohammad Ali Amoozegar
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  3. A. Ventosa
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Correspondence to Mohammad Ali Amoozegar.

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Rohban, R., Amoozegar, M.A. & Ventosa, A. Screening and isolation of halophilic bacteria producing extracellular hydrolyses from Howz Soltan Lake, Iran. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 36, 333–340 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-008-0500-0

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