Characterization of five psychrotolerant Alcanivorax spp. strains isolated from Antarctica
Cappello S.; Corsi I; Patania S.; Bergami E.; Azzaro M.; Mancuso M.; Genovese M.; Lunetta A.; Caruso G.;
Five psychrotolerant Alcanivorax spp. strains were isolated from Antarctic coastal waters. Strains were screened for molecular and physiological properties and analyzed regarding their growth capacity. Partial 16S rDNA, alk-B1 and P450 gene sequencing was performed. Biolog EcoPlates and the API 20E test were used to evaluate metabolic and biochemical profiles. Bacterial growth in so-dium acetate was determined at 4, 15, 20, and 25°C to evaluate the optimal temperature. Fur-thermore, the ability of each strain to grow in a hydrocarbon mixture at 4 and 25°C was assayed. Biosurfactant production tests (drop collapsing and oil spreading) and emulsification activity tests (E24) were also performed. Concerning results of partial gene sequencing (16S rDNA, alk-B1 and P450), a high similarity of the isolates with the same genes isolated from other Alcanivorax spp. strains was observed. The metabolic profiles obtained by Biolog assays showed no significant dif-ferences of the isolates compared to the Alcanivorax borkumensis wild type. The results of biodeg-radative tests showed their capability to grow at different temperatures. All strains showed bio-surfactant production and emulsification activity. Our findings underline the importance to pro-ceed in the isolation and characterization of Antarctic hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial strains since their biotechnological and environmental applications could be useful even for pollution re-mediation in polar areas.
2023 - Articolo in rivista
Microorganisms 11 (2023). doi:10.3390/microorganisms11010058
Keywords: Alcanivorax spp., Antarctica, molecular analyses, biodegradation, physiological analyses