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Starvation survival of Gordonia polyisoprenivorans CCT 7137, isolated from contaminated groundwater in Brazil

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Abstract

Gordonia polyisoprenivorans CCT7137, exopolysaccharide-producing bacterium, was isolated from groundwater contaminated with leachate in a former municipal landfill site (São Paulo, Brazil). The strain was submitted to starvation in phosphate-buffered saline solution for 56 days so as to evaluate its behavior regarding cuturability and cell morphology. As a response to starvation, G. polyisoprenivorans CCT7137 presented reduction in viable cell count, cell size and cell shape alteration. The initial number of viable cells was 1.51 × 107 c.f.u. ml. After 7 days of starvation culturability dropped to 13.70% (2.07 × 106 c.f.u/ml) and, after 56 days, to 3.25% (4.93 × 105 c.f.u/ml). It was also observed that after 7 days of starvation the cell size presented an average reduction in the values of length, length/width ratio, volume and area of 50, 58, 40 and 42%, respectively. The length/width ratio showed a change of shape from rod to coccobacillus. Changes in cell dimensions and distribution of cell into classes were not significant after day 7 of starvation. The results obtained show that it is not necessary for the strain to starve for more than a week to obtain G. polyisoprenivorans CCT7137 size- reduced cells. The results also indicate the potential for its starved forms to be used in future tests in porous medium to study the production of exopolysaccharide in situ.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank CAPES (Brazil) and PPG-ERN (UFSCar, Brazil) for financial support and Dr. E.P. Gianotti (USP, Brazil) and D.C.D. Javarotti (UFSCar, Brasil) for technical assistance during this study; and Molecular Biophysics Group (USP, Brazil) for Sorval, RC5C Plus Centrifuge use.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ecologia and Biologia Evolutiva, Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar), Via Washington Luís, Km 235, C.P. 676, Sao Carlos, SP, 13565-905, Brasil

    Roberta Fusconi & Mirna Januária Leal Godinho

  2. Instituto de Física de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), C.P. 369, Sao Carlos, SP, 13560-970, Brasil

    Nelma Regina Segnini Bossolan

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  1. Roberta Fusconi
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  2. Mirna Januária Leal Godinho
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  3. Nelma Regina Segnini Bossolan
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Correspondence to Roberta Fusconi.

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Fusconi, R., Godinho, M.J.L. & Bossolan, N.R.S. Starvation survival of Gordonia polyisoprenivorans CCT 7137, isolated from contaminated groundwater in Brazil. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 23, 1385–1391 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-007-9377-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-007-9377-8

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