• Title/Summary/Keyword: environmental microbiology

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Purification and Characterization of a Novel Extracellular Thermostable Alkaline Protease from Streptomyces sp. M30

  • Xin, Yan;Sun, Zhibin;Chen, Qiongzhen;Wang, Jue;Wang, Yicheng;Luogong, Linfeng;Li, Shuhuan;Dong, Weiliang;Cui, Zhongli;Huang, Yan
    • Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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    • v.25 no.11
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    • pp.1944-1953
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    • 2015
  • A novel alkaline protease from Streptomyces sp. M30, SapHM, was purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation, hydrophobic interaction chromatography, and DEAE-Sepharose chromatography, with a yield of 15.5% and a specific activity of 29,070 U/mg. Tryptic fragments of the purified SapHM were obtained by electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that the gene sapHM contained 1,179 bp, corresponding to 392 amino acids with conserved Asp156, His187, and Ser339 residues of alkaline protease. The first 24 amino acid residues were predicted to be a signal peptide, and the molecular mass of the mature peptide was 37.1 kDa based on amino acid sequences and mass spectrometry. Pure SapHM was optimally active at 80℃ in 50 mM glycine-NaOH buffer (pH 9.0), and was broadly stable at 0-50℃ and pH 4.0-9.0. The protease relative activity was increased in the presence of Ni2+, Mn2+, and Cu2+ to 112%, 113%, and 147% of control, respectively. Pure SapHM was also activated by dimethylformamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, Tween 80, and urea. The activity of the purified enzyme was completely inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, indicating that it is a serine-type protease. The Km and Vmax values were estimated to be 35.7 mg/ml, and 5 × 104 U/mg for casein. Substrate specificity analysis showed that SapH was active on casein, bovine serum albumin, and bovine serum fibrin.

Biological Treatment of Two-Phase Olive Mill Wastewater (TPOMW, alpeorujo): Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) Production by Azotobacter Strains

  • Cerrone, Federico;Sanchez-Peinado, Maria Del Mar;Juarez-Jimenez, Belen;Gonzalez-Lopez, Jesus;Pozo, Clementina
    • Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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    • v.20 no.3
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    • pp.594-601
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    • 2010
  • Azotobacter chroococcum H23 (CECT 4435), Azotobacter vinelandii UWD, and Azotobacter vinelandii (ATCC 12837), members of the family Pseudomonadaceae, were used to evaluate their capacity to grow and accumulate polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) using two-phase olive mill wastewater (TPOMW, alpeorujo) diluted at different concentrations as the sole carbon source. The PHAs amounts (g/l) increased clearly when the TPOMW samples were previously digested under anaerobic conditions. The MNR analysis demonstrated that the bacterial strains formed only homopolymers containing $\beta$-hydroxybutyrate, either when grown in diluted TPOMW medium or diluted anaerobically digested TPOMW medium. COD values of the diluted anaerobically digested waste were measured before and after the aerobic PHA-storing phase, and a clear reduction (72%) was recorded after 72 h of incubation. The results obtained in this study suggest the perspectives for using these bacterial strains to produce PHAs from TPOMW, and in parallel, contribute efficiently to the bioremediation of this waste. This fact seems essential if bioplastics are to become competitive products.

Releasing a Genetically Engineered Microorganism for Bioremediation

  • Sayler, Gary;Burlage, Robert;Cox, Chris;Nivens, David;Ripp, Steven;Ahn, Yeonghee;Easter, Jim;Wrner, Claudia;Jarrell, John
    • Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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    • 2000.11a
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    • pp.153-162
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    • 2000
  • A field study was performed to test effectiveness of a bloluminescent genetically engineered microorganism (GEM) for bioremediation process monitoring and control. The study employed Pseudomonas fluorescens HK44 that was the first strain approved for field application in the U.S. for bioremediation purposes. HK44 contains lux gene fused within a naphthalene degradative pathway, allowing this GEM to bioluminesce as it degrades naphthalene as well as substituted naphthalenes and other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) , Results showed that HK44 was maintained in both PAH-contarninated and uncontaminated soils even 660 days after inoculation. HK44 was able to produce bioluminescence in response to PAHs in soil. Although effectiveness of chemical remediation was not assessed due to heterogeneous distribution of contaminants, decreased concentration of naphthalene was shown in the soils, Taken together, HK44 was useful for in situ bioremediation process monitoring and control. This work is so far the only field release of a GEM for bioremediation purposes.

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Effects of Nutritional and Environmental Conditions on Planktonic Growth and Biofilm Formation of Citrobacter werkmanii BF-6

  • Zhou, Gang;Li, Long-Jie;Shi, Qing-Shan;Ouyang, You-Sheng;Chen, Yi-Ben;Hu, Wen-Feng
    • Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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    • v.23 no.12
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    • pp.1673-1682
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    • 2013
  • Citrobacter sp. is a cause of significant opportunistic nosocomial infection and is frequently found in human and animal feces, soil, and sewage water, and even in industrial waste or putrefaction. Biofilm formation is an important virulence trait of Citrobacter sp. pathogens but the process and characteristics of this formation are unclear. Therefore, we employed in vitro assays to study the nutritional and environmental parameters that might influence biofilm formation of C. werkmanii BF-6 using 96-well microtiter plates. In addition, we detected the relative transcript levels of biofilm formation genes by RT-PCR. Our results indicated that the capacity of C. werkmanii BF-6 to form biofilms was affected by culture temperature, media, time, pH, and the osmotic agents glucose, sucrose, NaCl, and KCl. Confocal laser scanning microscopy results illustrated that the structure of biofilms and extracellular polysaccharide was influenced by 100 mM NaCl or 100 mM KCl. In addition, nine biofilm formation genes (bsmA, bssR, bssS, csgD, csgE, csgF, mrkA, mrkB, and mrkE) were found to contribute to planktonic and biofilm growth. Our data suggest that biofilm formation by C. werkmanii BF-6 is affected by nutritional and environmental factors, which could pave the way to the prevention and elimination of biofilm formation using proper strategies.