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New Feather-Degrading Filamentous Fungi

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Abstract

Among 106 filamentous fungi isolated from poultry farm waste, 13 species belonging to seven genera (Aspergillus, Acremonium, Alternaria, Beauvaria, Curvularia, Paecilomyces, and Penicillium) were able to grow and produce keratinase in stationary cultures using poultry feather powder as the only substrate. The four most efficient keratinase producers were selected for a comparative study of keratinase production in submerged and stationary conditions. The highest keratinolytic activities were produced after 4–6 days of cultivation in submerged conditions: 53.8 ± 6.1 U/mL (Alternaria tenuissima), 51.2 ± 5.4 U/mL (Acremonium hyalinulum), 55.4 ± 5.2 U/mL (Curvularia brachyspora), and 62.8 ± 4.8 U/mL (Beauveria bassiana). These novel nondermatophytic keratinolytic fungi have potential use in biotechnological processes involving keratin hydrolysis. The results of this work contribute to show that keratinolytic activity is relatively widespread among common filamentous fungi and may have an important rule in feather decomposition in natural settings.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Fundação Araucária and Universidade Estadual de Maringá. R.M. Peralta is a research fellow of CNPq.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná, Cascavel, Paraná, Brazil

    Nadir Rodrigues Marcondes & Marina Kimiko Kadowaki

  2. Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, 87020900, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil

    Cleison Ledesma Taira, Daniela Cirena Vandresen, Terezinha Inez Estivalet Svidzinski & Rosane Marina Peralta

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  1. Nadir Rodrigues Marcondes
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  2. Cleison Ledesma Taira
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  3. Daniela Cirena Vandresen
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  5. Marina Kimiko Kadowaki
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  6. Rosane Marina Peralta
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Correspondence to Rosane Marina Peralta.

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Rodrigues Marcondes, N., Ledesma Taira, C., Cirena Vandresen, D. et al. New Feather-Degrading Filamentous Fungi. Microb Ecol 56, 13–17 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-007-9319-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-007-9319-x

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