Biotechnological perspectives of microorganisms isolated from the Polar Regions

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 137
Author(s):  
Viktoria Shcherbakova ◽  
Olga Troshina

Polar permanently frozen grounds cover more than 20% of the earth's surface, and about 60% of the Russian territories are permafrost. In the permafrost environments, the combination of low temperature and poor availability of liquid water make these habitats extremely inhospitable for life. To date, both culture-dependent and culture-independent methods have shown that permafrost is a habitat for microorganisms of all three domains: Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya. An overview of applying psychrophilic and psychrotolerant bacteria and archaea isolated from Arctic and Antarctic permafrost ecosystems in biotechnological processes of wastewater treatment, production of cold-adapted enzymes, etc. is discussed here. The study of existing collections of microorganisms isolated from permanently cold habitats, improved methods of sampling and enrichment will increase the potential biotechnological applications of permafrost bacteria and archaea producing unique biomolecules.

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evangelos Petropoulos ◽  
Yongjie Yu ◽  
Shamas Tabraiz ◽  
Aminu Yakubu ◽  
Thomas P. Curtis ◽  
...  

To choose the reactor format in which to employ a low temperature adapted seed for wastewater treatment, we compared a UASB and an AnMBRUASB (UF)reactor at low HRT and temperature (15 °C).


Marine Drugs ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
pp. 544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Bruno ◽  
Daniela Coppola ◽  
Guido di Prisco ◽  
Daniela Giordano ◽  
Cinzia Verde

The microorganisms that evolved at low temperatures express cold-adapted enzymes endowed with unique catalytic properties in comparison to their mesophilic homologues, i.e., higher catalytic efficiency, improved flexibility, and lower thermal stability. Cold environments are therefore an attractive research area for the discovery of enzymes to be used for investigational and industrial applications in which such properties are desirable. In this work, we will review the literature on cold-adapted enzymes specifically focusing on those discovered in the bioprospecting of polar marine environments, so far largely neglected because of their limited accessibility. We will discuss their existing or proposed biotechnological applications within the framework of the more general applications of cold-adapted enzymes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bianca E Silva ◽  
Zvifadzo Matsena Zingoni ◽  
Lizette L. Koekemoer ◽  
Yael L. Dahan-Moss

Abstract Background Mosquito species from the Anopheles gambiae complex and the Anopheles funestus group are dominant African malaria vectors. Mosquito microbiota play vital roles in physiology and vector competence. Recent research has focused on investigating the mosquito microbiota, especially in wild populations. Wild mosquitoes are preserved and transported to a laboratory for analyses. Thus far, microbial characterization post-preservation has been investigated in only Aedes vexans and Culex pipiens. Investigating the efficacy of cost-effective preservatives has also been limited to AllProtect reagent, ethanol and nucleic acid preservation buffer. This study characterized the microbiota of African Anopheles vectors: Anopheles arabiensis (member of the An. gambiae complex) and An. funestus (member of the An. funestus group), preserved on silica desiccant and RNAlater® solution. Methods Microbial composition and diversity were characterized using culture-dependent (midgut dissections, culturomics, MALDI-TOF MS) and culture-independent techniques (abdominal dissections, DNA extraction, next-generation sequencing) from laboratory (colonized) and field-collected mosquitoes. Colonized mosquitoes were either fresh (non-preserved) or preserved for 4 and 12 weeks on silica or in RNAlater®. Microbiota were also characterized from field-collected An. arabiensis preserved on silica for 8, 12 and 16 weeks. Results Elizabethkingia anophelis and Serratia oryzae were common between both vector species, while Enterobacter cloacae and Staphylococcus epidermidis were specific to females and males, respectively. Microbial diversity was not influenced by sex, condition (fresh or preserved), preservative, or preservation time-period; however, the type of bacterial identification technique affected all microbial diversity indices. Conclusions This study broadly characterized the microbiota of An. arabiensis and An. funestus. Silica- and RNAlater®-preservation were appropriate when paired with culture-dependent and culture-independent techniques, respectively. These results broaden the selection of cost-effective methods available for handling vector samples for downstream microbial analyses.


Marine Drugs ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 43
Author(s):  
Marco Mangiagalli ◽  
Marina Lotti

β-galactosidases (EC 3.2.1.23) catalyze the hydrolysis of β-galactosidic bonds in oligosaccharides and, under certain conditions, transfer a sugar moiety from a glycosyl donor to an acceptor. Cold-active β-galactosidases are identified in microorganisms endemic to permanently low-temperature environments. While mesophilic β-galactosidases are broadly studied and employed for biotechnological purposes, the cold-active enzymes are still scarcely explored, although they may prove very useful in biotechnological processes at low temperature. This review covers several issues related to cold-active β-galactosidases, including their classification, structure and molecular mechanisms of cold adaptation. Moreover, their applications are discussed, focusing on the production of lactose-free dairy products as well as on the valorization of cheese whey and the synthesis of glycosyl building blocks for the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 1642
Author(s):  
Dorothee Tegtmeier ◽  
Sabine Hurka ◽  
Sanja Mihajlovic ◽  
Maren Bodenschatz ◽  
Stephanie Schlimbach ◽  
...  

Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) are fast-growing, resilient insects that can break down a variety of organic substrates and convert them into valuable proteins and lipids for applications in the feed industry. Decomposition is mediated by an abundant and versatile gut microbiome, which has been studied for more than a decade. However, little is known about the phylogeny, properties and functions of bacterial isolates from the BSFL gut. We therefore characterized the BSFL gut microbiome in detail, evaluating bacterial diversity by culture-dependent methods and amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Redundant strains were identified by genomic fingerprinting and 105 non-redundant isolates were then tested for their ability to inhibit pathogens. We cultivated representatives of 26 genera, covering 47% of the families and 33% of the genera detected by amplicon sequencing. Among these isolates, we found several representatives of the most abundant genera: Morganella, Enterococcus, Proteus and Providencia. We also isolated diverse members of the less-abundant phylum Actinobacteria, and a novel genus of the order Clostridiales. We found that 15 of the isolates inhibited at least one of the tested pathogens, suggesting a role in helping to prevent colonization by pathogens in the gut. The resulting culture collection of unique BSFL gut bacteria provides a promising resource for multiple industrial applications.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 565
Author(s):  
Anindita Lahiri ◽  
Brian R. Murphy ◽  
Trevor R. Hodkinson

Fraxinus excelsior populations are in decline due to the ash dieback disease Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. It is important to understand genotypic and environmental effects on its fungal microbiome to develop disease management strategies. To do this, we used culture dependent and culture independent approaches to characterize endophyte material from contrasting ash provenances, environments, and tissues (leaves, roots, seeds). Endophytes were isolated and identified using nrITS, LSU, or tef DNA loci in the culture dependent assessments, which were mostly Ascomycota and assigned to 37 families. Few taxa were shared between roots and leaves. The culture independent approach used high throughput sequencing (HTS) of nrITS amplicons directly from plant DNA and detected 35 families. Large differences were found in OTU diversity and community composition estimated by the contrasting approaches and these data need to be combined for estimations of the core endophyte communities. Species richness and Shannon index values were highest for the leaf material and the French population. Few species were shared between seed and leaf tissue. PCoA and NMDS of the HTS data showed that seed and leaf microbiome communities were highly distinct and that there was a strong influence of Fraxinus species identity on their fungal community composition. The results will facilitate a better understanding of ash fungal ecology and are a step toward identifying microbial biocontrol systems to minimize the impact of the disease.


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