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Extracellular β-agarase LSL-1 producing neoagarobiose from a newly isolated agar-liquefying soil bacterium, Acinetobacter sp., AG LSL-1

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Summary

An agar-liquefying Acinetobacter species capable of utilizing agar as sole source of carbon and energy was isolated from soil samples and the culture conditions were standardized for the maximal production of extracellular agarase. The bacterium was capable of liquefying an agar-plate within 3 days of incubation and produced extracellular agarase within a short period of time (16–18 h) when grown in defined mineral salts medium. Bacterium grew in the pH range 4.0–9.0, optimal at pH 7.0; temperature 25–40 °C and optimal at 37 °C. The agarase secreted by the Acinetobacter strain was inducible by agar and not repressed by other simple sugars when supplemented along with agar in the medium. The bacterium did not require NaCl for growth or production of agarase. The bacterium did not utilize other polysaccharides like κ-carrageenan, alginate, cellulose, and CMC. The activity staining of partially purified agarase preparations after native-PAGE and SDS PAGE revealed the presence of a single zone of clearance corresponding to the molecular weight 100 kDa, suggesting that it is a monomer. Neoagarobiose was the end product of agarose hydrolysis by this enzyme. The agarase was an endo-type glycosidase and belongs to Group-III β-agarase family.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Prof H.S. Savithri and Prof N. Appaji Rao, IISc, Bangalore, India. We also thank T. Promod for his help in preliminary screening of the agarolytic microorganisms and M. Lakshmikanth is grateful to Gulbarga University, Gulbarga for providing fellowship during this study. The research work is partly supported by the fund received from Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, Gulbarga University, 585 106, Gulbarga, Karnataka, India

    M. Lakshmikanth & J. Lalitha

  2. Department of Biotechnology, MVJ College of Engineering, Near ITPL, 560067, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

    S. Manohar

  3. National Centre for Cell Sciences, University Campus, 411007, Pune, India

    Y. Souche

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  1. M. Lakshmikanth
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  2. S. Manohar
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  3. Y. Souche
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  4. J. Lalitha
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Correspondence to J. Lalitha.

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Lakshmikanth, M., Manohar, S., Souche, Y. et al. Extracellular β-agarase LSL-1 producing neoagarobiose from a newly isolated agar-liquefying soil bacterium, Acinetobacter sp., AG LSL-1. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 22, 1087–1094 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-006-9147-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-006-9147-z

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