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Diversity of Chemotactic Heterotrophic Bacteria Associated with Arctic Cyanobacteria

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Abstract

The abundance and diversity of chemotactic heterotrophic bacteria associated with Arctic cyanobacteria was determined. The viable numbers ranged between 104 and 106 cell g−1 cyanobacterial biomass. A total of 112 morphotypes, representing 22 phylotypes based on their 16S rRNA sequence similarity were isolated from the samples. All the phylotypes were Gram-negative with affiliation to the proteobacterial and bacteroidetes divisions. Among the 22 phylotypes, 14 were chemotactic to glucose. Majority of the phylotypes were psychrotolerant showing growth up to 30 °C. Representatives of Alphaproteobacteria, the genus Flavobacterium and the gammaproteobacterial Alcanivorax sp, were psychrophilic with growth at or below 18 °C. A significant percentage of phylotypes were pigmented (~68 %), rich in unsaturated membrane fatty acids and tolerated pH values and NaCl concentrations between 5.0–8.0 and 0.15–1.0 M, respectively. The percentages of phylotypes producing extracellular cold-active enzymes at 4 °C were amylase (18.18 %), lipase and urease (45.45 %), caseinase (59.09 %) and gelatinase (31.8 %).

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Department of Biotechnology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Government of India, for financial support to SS. SS would also like to thank NCAOR and Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, for providing financial and logistic support for the trip to Arctic.

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  1. Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, 500 007, India

    Sathish Prasad, Mambatta Shankaranarayanan Pratibha, Poorna Manasa, Sailaja Buddhi, Zareena Begum & Sisinthy Shivaji

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  1. Sathish Prasad
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  2. Mambatta Shankaranarayanan Pratibha
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Correspondence to Sisinthy Shivaji.

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Prasad, S., Pratibha, M.S., Manasa, P. et al. Diversity of Chemotactic Heterotrophic Bacteria Associated with Arctic Cyanobacteria. Curr Microbiol 66, 64–71 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-012-0243-z

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