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Gordonia sp. BSTG01 isolated from Hevea brasiliensis plantation efficiently degrades polyisoprene (rubber)

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Abstract

Polyisoprene is the principal constituent of rubber latex which has been estimated globally as one of the major solid wastes. Bacterial bioremediation of this solid waste remains a major point of interest for scientists. This study reports a Gram-positive, non-motile, non-spore-forming actinomycete Gordonia sp. BSTG01, isolated from the bark of Hevea brasiliensis of a rubber plantation garden can considerably degrade natural rubber (NR) and synthetic polyisoprene rubber (SR). Scanning electron microscopy showed adhesive colonization of strain BSTG01 on both natural and synthetic rubber surface, conflating into the rubber and forming a biofilm. Rubber-dependent growth of the strain was examined by the decrease of rubber mass and increase of its total protein content in a time-dependent manner. Degradation was also verified by Schiff’s reagent which confirms the appearance of aldehydes in the culture media. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy including the attenuated total reflectance with the NR and SR pieces overgrown by the isolate revealed variations of the overall chemicals arising on the polyisoprene backbone due to the degradation of rubber by the strain BSTG01. Isolate BSTG01 (MTCC 13159) is a strain of Gordonia and this is the first strain isolated from unexplored rubber plantation area with considerable rubber degradation properties.

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  1. Laboratory of Molecular Bacteriology, Department of Microbiology, University of Calcutta, 35, Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata, 700019, India

    Biraj Sarkar & Sukhendu Mandal

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  1. Biraj Sarkar
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Correspondence to Sukhendu Mandal.

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Sarkar, B., Mandal, S. Gordonia sp. BSTG01 isolated from Hevea brasiliensis plantation efficiently degrades polyisoprene (rubber). 3 Biotech 11, 508 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-021-03063-5

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