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Characterization of rhizospheric bacteria isolated from Deschampsia antarctica Desv.

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Abstract

Deschampsia antarctica Desv. is the only gramineae capable of colonizing the Antarctic due to the region’s extreme climate and soil environment. In the present research, bacteria colonizing the rhizospheric soil of D. antarctica were isolated and characterized. The soil studies showed that D. antarctica possesses a wide spectrum of psychrotolerant bacteria with extensive and varied antibiotic resistance, as well as heavy metal tolerance. The bacterial strains isolated from the rhizosphere of D. antarctica also produced a diverse pattern of enzymes. Based on the strain identification with partial characterization of the 16S rRNA gene, the majority of the isolates correspond to different Pseudomonas species, and species of the genus Flavobacterium sp. and Arthrobacter sp. The isolated strains collected from this research constitute a unique collection for future, more detailed taxonomic analysis and physiological characterization, contributing to the search for potential biotechnological uses. These findings and others have great potential for developing new biotechnological products from Antarctic microorganisms.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful for Grants INACH No. 03-01 and Grant DIUBB 055209 2/R 2005; Convenio Desempeño II 2007 Universidad de La Frontera; to the Instituto Antártico Chileno, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores 2005–2007 for logistical support; and the biotechnology company Vitrogen S.A.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del Bío-Bío, Casilla 447, Chillan, Chile

    Leticia Barrientos-Díaz

  2. Laboratorio de Biología Molecular Aplicada, Instituto de Agroindustrias, Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias y Forestales, Universidad de La Frontera, Casilla 54-D, Temuco, Chile

    Leticia Barrientos-Díaz, Manuel Gidekel & Ana Gutiérrez-Moraga

  3. Ejecutivo Vitrogen S.A., Temuco, Chile

    Manuel Gidekel

  4. Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Diagonal Las Torres 2640, Peñalolén, Santiago, Chile

    Manuel Gidekel

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  1. Leticia Barrientos-Díaz
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  2. Manuel Gidekel
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  3. Ana Gutiérrez-Moraga
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Correspondence to Ana Gutiérrez-Moraga.

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Barrientos-Díaz, L., Gidekel, M. & Gutiérrez-Moraga, A. Characterization of rhizospheric bacteria isolated from Deschampsia antarctica Desv.. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 24, 2289–2296 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-008-9743-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-008-9743-1

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