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Evaluation of pink-pigmented facultative methylotrophic bacteria for phosphate solubilization

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Abstract

Thirteen pink-pigmented facultative methylotrophic (PPFM) strains isolated from Adyar and Cooum rivers in Chennai and forest soil samples in Tamil Nadu, India, along with Methylobacterium extorquens, M. organophilum, M. gregans, and M. komagatae were screened for phosphate solubilization in plates. P-solubilization index of the PPFMs grown on NBRIP—BPB plates for 7 days ranged from 1.1 to 2.7. The growth of PPFMs in tricalcium phosphate amended media was found directly proportional to the glucose concentration. Higher phosphate solubilization was observed in four strains MSF 32 (415 mg l−l), MDW 80 (301 mg l−l), M. komagatae (279 mg l−l), and MSF 34 (202 mg l−l), after 7 days of incubation. A drop in the media pH from 6.6 to 3.4 was associated with an increase in titratable acidity. Acid phosphatase activity was more pronounced in the culture filtrate than alkaline phosphatase activity. Adherence of phosphate to densely grown bacterial surface was observed under scanning electron microscope after 7-day-old cultures. Biochemical characterization and screening for methanol dehydrogenase gene (mxaF) confirmed the strains as methylotrophs. The mxaF gene sequence from MSF 32 clustered towards M. lusitanum sp. with 99% similarity. This study forms the first detailed report on phosphate solubilization by the PPFMs.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Life Sciences Research Board, DRDO, India, and Department of Biotechnology, Government of India for financial support, Dr. Mary E. Lidstorm, University of Washington, Seattle, for providing the bacterial strain, and Shri AMM Murugappa Chettiar Research Center for providing necessary facilities. The authors gratefully acknowledge Dr. Gerry Brennan and Ms. Sharon Elizhabeth, Queens University, Belfast, UK, for their help in scanning electron microscopy.

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  1. Shri AMM Murugappa Chettiar Research Center (MCRC), Taramani, Chennai, 600113, India

    Shanmugam Jayashree, Ponnusamy Vadivukkarasi, Kirupanithi Anand & Sundaram Seshadri

  2. Microbiological and Analytical Group, Food Research Laboratories, Mitsui Norin Co. Ltd, 223-1, Miyahara, Fujieda, Shizuoka, 426-0133, Japan

    Yuko Kato

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  1. Shanmugam Jayashree
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  2. Ponnusamy Vadivukkarasi
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Correspondence to Sundaram Seshadri.

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Communicated by Ursula Priefer.

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Jayashree, S., Vadivukkarasi, P., Anand, K. et al. Evaluation of pink-pigmented facultative methylotrophic bacteria for phosphate solubilization. Arch Microbiol 193, 543–552 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-011-0691-z

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