Isolation and characterization of halophilic Archaea able to produce biosurfactants.

Halotolerant microorganisms able to live in saline environments offer a multitude of actual or potential applications in various fields of biotechnology. This is why some strains of Halobacteria from an Algerian culture collection were screened for biosurfactant production in a standard medium using the qualitative drop-collapse test and emulsification activity assay. Five of the Halobacteria strains reduced the growth medium surface tension below 40 mN m(-1), and two of them exhibited high emulsion-stabilizing capacity. Diesel oil-in-water emulsions were stabilized over a broad range of conditions, from pH 2 to 11, with up to 35% sodium chloride or up to 25% ethanol in the aqueous phase. Emulsions were stable to three cycles of freezing and thawing. The components of the biosurfactant were determined; it contained sugar, protein and lipid. The two Halobacteria strains with enhanced biosurfactant producers, designated strain A21 and strain D21, were selected to identify by phenotypic, biochemical characteristics and by partial 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The strains have Mg(2+), and salt growth requirements are always above 15% (w/v) salts with an optimal concentration of 15-25%. Analyses of partial 16S rRNA gene sequences of the two strains suggested that they were halophiles belonging to genera of the family Halobacteriaceae, Halovivax (strain A21) and Haloarcula (strain D21). To our knowledge, this is the first report of biosurfactant production at such a high salt concentration.Journal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Isolation of an extremely halophilic arhaeon Natrialba sp. C21 able to degrade aromatic compounds and to produce stable biosurfactant at high salinity

Natrialba sp. strain C21 was isolated from oil contaminated saline water in Ain Salah (Algeria) and has exhibited a good potential for degrading phenol (3 % v/v), naphthalene (3 % v/v), and pyrene (3 % v/v) at high salinity with high growth, enzymatic activity and biosurfactant production. Successful metabolism of aromatic hydrocarbon compounds of the strain Natrialba sp. C21 appears to require the ortho-cleavage pathway. Indeed, assays of the key enzymes involved in the ring cleavage of catechol 1, 2-dioxygenase indicated that degradation of the phenol, naphthalene and pyrene by strain Natrialba sp. C21 was via the ortho-cleavage pathway. Cells grown on aromatic hydrocarbons displayed greater ortho-activities mainly towards catechol, while the meta-activity was very low. Besides, biosurfactants derived from the strain C21 were capable of effectively emulsifying both aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons and seem to be particularly promising since they have particular adaptations like the increased stability at high temperature and salinity conditions. This study clearly demonstrates for the first time that strain belonging to the genera Natrialba is able to grow at 25 % (w/v) NaCl, utilizing phenol, naphthalene, and pyrene as the sole carbon sources. The results suggest that the isolated halophilic archaeon could be a good candidate for the remediation process in extreme environments polluted by aromatic hydrocarbons. Moreover, the produced biosurfactant offers a multitude of interesting potential applications in various fields of biotechnology. © 2015 Springer Japa