Sunday, May 3, 2009
6-12
Microbes derived from marine invertebrates and algae as a source of cellulolytic, chitinolyitic and lipolytic enzymes
Marine invertebrates such as sponges are known to harbor large microbial populations which may comprise up to 60% of the biomass. The role of these bacteria is largely undefined however it is likely that some play a role in nutrition through the production of hydrolytic enzymes which break down particulate matter captured by the sponge. Such enzymes have potential utility in the degradation of biomass in biofuel generation. The Harbor Branch Marine Microbial Culture Collection (HBMMCC) contains over 17,000 heterotrophic microbial isolates, 70% of which were derived from invertebrates collected at depths between 50 and 1,000 meters. This study was designed to determine whether these microbes produce cellulolytic, chitinolytic or lipolytic enzymes and to compare their taxonomy with that of isolates with similar activities from the shallow water marine environment. Bacterial isolates of unknown taxonomy were selected from the HBMMCC and tested for degradative activities in plate assays. Samples of sediments, algae and invertebrates were collected from near-shore coastal environments and plated on to a series of isolation media using a standard serial dilution technique. After incubation, environmental samples were replica plated onto assay plates allowing selective isolation of microbes producing degradative enzymes. Following strain purification and confirmation of activity, the taxonomy of the isolates was determined through 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Isolates producing these activities included members of the Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Alpha- and Gamma-Proteobacteria. This study suggests that these marine environments may be a productive resource for the discovery of enzymes with activities relevant to biofuels production.
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