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Sharma N, Shekhar P, Kumar V, Kaur H, Jayasena V. Microbial pigments: Sources, current status, future challenges in cosmetics and therapeutic applications. J Basic Microbiol 2024; 64:4-21. [PMID: 37861279 DOI: 10.1002/jobm.202300214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Color serves as the initial attraction and offers a pleasing aspect. While synthetic colorants have been popular for many years, their adverse environmental and health effects cannot be overlooked. This necessitates the search for natural colorants, especially microbial colorants, which have proven and more effective. Pigment-producing microorganisms offer substantial benefits. Natural colors improve product marketability and bestow additional benefits, including antioxidant, antiaging, anticancer, antiviral, antimicrobial, and antitumor properties. This review covers the various types of microbial pigments, the methods to enhance their production, and their cosmetic and therapeutic applications. We also address the challenges faced during the commercial production of microbial pigments and propose potential solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nitin Sharma
- Chandigarh Group of Colleges, Landran, Mohali, Punjab, India
| | | | - Vikas Kumar
- University Institute of Biotechnology, Chandigarh University, Mohali, Punjab, India
| | - Harpreet Kaur
- Chandigarh Group of Colleges, Landran, Mohali, Punjab, India
| | - Vijay Jayasena
- School of Science and Health, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
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Molina-Menor E, Carlotto N, Vidal-Verdú À, Pérez-Ferriols A, Pérez-Pastor G, Porcar M. Ecology and resistance to UV light and antibiotics of microbial communities on UV cabins in the dermatology service of a Spanish hospital. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14547. [PMID: 37666842 PMCID: PMC10477284 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40996-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Microorganisms colonize all possible ecological habitats, including those subjected to harsh stressors such as UV radiation. Hospitals, in particular the UV cabins used in phototherapy units, constitute an environment in which microbes are intermittently subjected to UV irradiation. This selective pressure, in addition to the frequent use of antibiotics by patients, may represent a threat in the context of the increasing problem of antimicrobial resistance. In this work, a collection of microorganisms has been established in order to study the microbiota associated to the inner and outer surfaces of UV cabins and to assess their resistance to UV light and the antibiotics frequently used in the Dermatology Service of a Spanish hospital. Our results show that UV cabins harbor a relatively diverse biocenosis dominated by typically UV-resistant microorganisms commonly found in sun-irradiated environments, such as Kocuria, Micrococcus or Deinococcus spp., but also clinically relevant taxa, such as Staphylococcus or Pseudomonas spp. The UV-radiation assays revealed that, although some isolates displayed some resistance, UV is not a major factor shaping the biocenosis living on the cabins, since a similar pool of resistant microorganisms was identified on the external surface of the cabins. Interestingly, some Staphylococcus spp. displayed resistance to one or more antibiotics, although the hospital reported no cases of antibiotic-resistance infections of the patients using the cabins. Finally, no association between UV and antibiotic resistances was found.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther Molina-Menor
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio, University of Valencia-CSIC), Valencia, Spain
| | - Nicolás Carlotto
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio, University of Valencia-CSIC), Valencia, Spain
| | - Àngela Vidal-Verdú
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio, University of Valencia-CSIC), Valencia, Spain
| | | | - Gemma Pérez-Pastor
- Servicio de Dermatología, Consorcio Hospital General de Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Manuel Porcar
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio, University of Valencia-CSIC), Valencia, Spain.
- Darwin Bioprospecting Excellence SL (Parc Científic Universitat de València, C/ Catedràtic Agustín Escardino Benlloch 9, Paterna, Spain.
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Wan YY, Zhu YJ, Jiang L, Luo N. Multi-Temperatures Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography: A Rapid Method to Differentiate Microorganisms. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10122333. [PMID: 36557587 PMCID: PMC9781292 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10122333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The identification of microorganisms using single-temperatures pyrolysis gas chromatography (ST-PyGC) has limitations, for example, the risk of missing characteristic peaks that are essential to the chemotaxonomic interpretation. In this paper, we proposed a new multi-temperature PyGC (MT-PyGC) method as an alternative to ST-PyGC, without sacrificing its speed and quality. Six bacteria (three Gram-positive and three Gram-negative), one micro-fungus and one archaeon, representing microorganisms from different domains, were analyzed by MT-PyGC. It is found that MT pyrograms cover a more complete range of characteristic peaks than ST. Coupling with thermogravimetric analysis, chemotaxonomic information extracted from pyrograms by MT-PyGC have the potential for the differentiation of microorganisms from environments including deep subterranean reservoirs and biomass conversion/biofuel production.
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Tran T, Dawrs SN, Norton GJ, Virdi R, Honda JR. Brought to you courtesy of the red, white, and blue-pigments of nontuberculous mycobacteria. AIMS Microbiol 2020; 6:434-450. [PMID: 33364537 PMCID: PMC7755587 DOI: 10.3934/microbiol.2020026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Pigments are chromophores naturally synthesized by animals, plants, and microorganisms, as well as produced synthetically for a wide variety of industries such as food, pharmaceuticals, and textiles. Bacteria produce various pigments including melanin, pyocyanin, bacteriochlorophyll, violacein, prodigiosin, and carotenoids that exert diverse biological activities as antioxidants and demonstrate anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and antimicrobial properties. Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) include over 200 environmental and acid-fast species; some of which can cause opportunistic disease in humans. Early in the study of mycobacteriology, the vast majority of mycobacteria were not known to synthesize pigments, particularly NTM isolates of clinical significance such as the Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) species. This paper reviews the overall understanding of microbial pigments, their applications, as well as highlights what is currently known about pigments produced by NTM, the circumstances that trigger their production, and their potential roles in NTM survival and virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tru Tran
- College of Osteopathic Medicine, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Bradenton, Florida, USA
| | - Stephanie N Dawrs
- Center for Genes, Environment, and Health; Department of Immunology and Genomic Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Grant J Norton
- Center for Genes, Environment, and Health; Department of Immunology and Genomic Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Ravleen Virdi
- Center for Genes, Environment, and Health; Department of Immunology and Genomic Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Jennifer R Honda
- Center for Genes, Environment, and Health; Department of Immunology and Genomic Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, USA
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Sajjad W, Din G, Rafiq M, Iqbal A, Khan S, Zada S, Ali B, Kang S. Pigment production by cold-adapted bacteria and fungi: colorful tale of cryosphere with wide range applications. Extremophiles 2020; 24:447-473. [PMID: 32488508 PMCID: PMC7266124 DOI: 10.1007/s00792-020-01180-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Pigments are an essential part of everyday life on Earth with rapidly growing industrial and biomedical applications. Synthetic pigments account for a major portion of these pigments that in turn have deleterious effects on public health and environment. Such drawbacks of synthetic pigments have shifted the trend to use natural pigments that are considered as the best alternative to synthetic pigments due to their significant properties. Natural pigments from microorganisms are of great interest due to their broader applications in the pharmaceutical, food, and textile industry with increasing demand among the consumers opting for natural pigments. To fulfill the market demand of natural pigments new sources should be explored. Cold-adapted bacteria and fungi in the cryosphere produce a variety of pigments as a protective strategy against ecological stresses such as low temperature, oxidative stresses, and ultraviolet radiation making them a potential source for natural pigment production. This review highlights the protective strategies and pigment production by cold-adapted bacteria and fungi, their industrial and biomedical applications, condition optimization for maximum pigment extraction as well as the challenges facing in the exploitation of cryospheric microorganisms for pigment extraction that hopefully will provide valuable information, direction, and progress in forthcoming studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wasim Sajjad
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Ghufranud Din
- Department of Microbiology, Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Rafiq
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Informatics, Balochistan University of IT, Engineering and Management Sciences, Quetta, Pakistan
| | - Awais Iqbal
- School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Suliman Khan
- The Department of Cerebrovascular Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Sahib Zada
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Shantou University, Shantou, China
| | - Barkat Ali
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Shichang Kang
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
- CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Beijing, China.
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Ramesh C, Vinithkumar NV, Kirubagaran R, Venil CK, Dufossé L. Multifaceted Applications of Microbial Pigments: Current Knowledge, Challenges and Future Directions for Public Health Implications. Microorganisms 2019; 7:microorganisms7070186. [PMID: 31261756 PMCID: PMC6680428 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms7070186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2019] [Revised: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbial oddities such as versatile pigments are gaining more attention in current research due to their widely perceived applications as natural food colorants, textiles, antimicrobial activities, and cytotoxic activities. This indicates that the future generation will depend on microbial pigments over synthetic colorants for sustainable livelihood. Although several reviews have detailed the comprehensive applications of microbial pigments extensively, knowledge on several aspects of pigmented microbes is apparently missing and not properly reviewed anywhere. Thus, this review has been made to provide overall knowledge on biodiversity, distribution, pathogenicity, and ecological and industrial applications of microbial pigments as well as their challenges and future directions for food, industrial, and biomedical applications. Meticulously, this compendious review treatise on the pigments from bacteria, fungi, yeasts, and microalgae includes reports from the 1970s to 2018. A total of 261 pigment compounds produced by about 500 different microbial species are included, and their bioactive nature is described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chatragadda Ramesh
- National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), NCCR Field Office, Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Mandapam Camp, TN 623519, India.
- Atal Centre for Ocean Science and Technology for Islands, ESSO-NIOT, Dollygunj, Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands 744103, India.
| | - Nambali Valsalan Vinithkumar
- Atal Centre for Ocean Science and Technology for Islands, ESSO-NIOT, Dollygunj, Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands 744103, India
| | - Ramalingam Kirubagaran
- Marine Biotechnology Group, ESSO-National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Ministry of Earth Sciences (Govt. of India), Chennai, TN 600100, India
| | | | - Laurent Dufossé
- Laboratoire de Chimie des Substances Naturelles et des Sciences des Aliments-LCSNSA EA 2212, Université de La Réunion, ESIROI Agroalimentaire, 15 Avenue René Cassin, CS 92003, F-97744 Saint-Denis Cedex 9, Ile de La Réunion, France.
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Thulasi K, Jayakumar A, Balakrishna Pillai A, Gopalakrishnapillai Sankaramangalam VK, Kumarapillai H. Efficient methanol-degrading aerobic bacteria isolated from a wetland ecosystem. Arch Microbiol 2018; 200:829-833. [PMID: 29637291 DOI: 10.1007/s00203-018-1509-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2017] [Revised: 03/27/2018] [Accepted: 03/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Methylotrophs present in the soil play an important role in the regulation of one carbon compounds in the environment, and thereby aid in mitigating global warming. The study envisages the isolation and characterization of methanol-degrading bacteria from Kuttanad wetland ecosystem, India. Three methylotrophs, viz. Achromobacter spanius KUT14, Acinetobacter sp. KUT26 and Methylobacterium radiotolerans KUT39 were isolated and their phylogenetic positions were determined by constructing a phylogenetic tree based on 16S rDNA sequences. In vitro activity of methanol dehydrogenase enzyme, responsible for methanol oxidation was evaluated and the genes involved in methanol metabolism, mxaF and xoxF were partially amplified and sequenced. The specific activity of methanol dehydrogenase (451.9 nmol min-1 mg-1) observed in KUT39 is the highest, reported ever to our knowledge from a soil bacterium. KUT14 recorded the least activity of 50.15 nmol min-1 mg-1 and is the first report on methylotrophy in A. spanius.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kavitha Thulasi
- Environmental Biology Laboratory, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Poojappura, Thiruvananthapuram, 695014, Kerala, India
| | - Arjun Jayakumar
- Environmental Biology Laboratory, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Poojappura, Thiruvananthapuram, 695014, Kerala, India
| | - Aneesh Balakrishna Pillai
- Environmental Biology Laboratory, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Poojappura, Thiruvananthapuram, 695014, Kerala, India
| | | | - Harikrishnan Kumarapillai
- Environmental Biology Laboratory, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Poojappura, Thiruvananthapuram, 695014, Kerala, India.
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9
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Del Rocío Bustillos-Cristales M, Corona-Gutierrez I, Castañeda-Lucio M, Águila-Zempoaltécatl C, Seynos-García E, Hernández-Lucas I, Muñoz-Rojas J, Medina-Aparicio L, Fuentes-Ramírez LE. Culturable Facultative Methylotrophic Bacteria from the Cactus Neobuxbaumia macrocephala Possess the Locus xoxF and Consume Methanol in the Presence of Ce 3+ and Ca 2. Microbes Environ 2017; 32:244-251. [PMID: 28855445 PMCID: PMC5606694 DOI: 10.1264/jsme2.me17070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Methanol-consuming culturable bacteria were isolated from the plant surface, rhizosphere, and inside the stem of Neobuxbaumia macrocephala. All 38 isolates were facultative methylotrophic microorganisms. Their classification included the Classes Actinobacteria, Sphingobacteriia, Alpha-, Beta-, and Gammaproteobacteria. The deduced amino acid sequences of methanol dehydrogenase obtained by PCR belonging to Actinobacteria, Alpha-, Beta-, and Gammaproteobacteria showed high similarity to rare-earth element (REE)-dependent XoxF methanol dehydrogenases, particularly the group XoxF5. The sequences included Asp301, the REE-coordinating amino acid, present in all known XoxF dehydrogenases and absent in MxaF methanol dehydrogenases. The quantity of the isolates showed positive hybridization with a xoxF probe, but not with a mxaF probe. Isolates of all taxonomic groups showed methylotrophic growth in the presence of Ce3+ or Ca2+. The presence of xoxF-like sequences in methylotrophic bacteria from N. macrocephala and its potential relationship with their adaptability to xerophytic plants are discussed.
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Saviola B, Felton J. Acidochromogenicity is a common characteristic in nontuberculous mycobacteria. BMC Res Notes 2011; 4:466. [PMID: 22035248 PMCID: PMC3219769 DOI: 10.1186/1756-0500-4-466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2011] [Accepted: 10/29/2011] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND An acidic environment is something likely encountered by mycobacteria in the environment or in a human host. Previously mycobacterial species had been known to produce carotenoid pigments in response to light or constitutively. RESULTS We have tested the ability of various mycobacteria to grow on solid agar plates of differing acidity, and have shown that many species of mycobacteria previously thought to not produce pigment are pigmented when exposed to acidic stress. The Mycobacterium smegmatis promoter region upstream of the genes homologous to those of other mycobacterial species known to code for proteins involved in carotenoid biosynthesis was found to be upregulated under acidic stress. CONCLUSIONS Mycobacterial species can produce pigment in response to conditions not previously known to induce chromogenicity in mycobacteria. In addition many mycobacterial species previously thought to not produce pigment are actually chromogenic under acidic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatrice Saviola
- Basic Medical Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, 309 E, Second St,, Pomona, CA 91766, USA.
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Williams TJ, Burg DW, Ertan H, Raftery MJ, Poljak A, Guilhaus M, Cavicchioli R. Global Proteomic Analysis of the Insoluble, Soluble, and Supernatant Fractions of the Psychrophilic Archaeon Methanococcoides burtonii Part II: The Effect of Different Methylated Growth Substrates. J Proteome Res 2009; 9:653-63. [DOI: 10.1021/pr9005102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J. Williams
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, NSW, Australia, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Science Faculty, Istanbul University, Vezneciler, Istanbul, Turkey, Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry Facility, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, NSW, Australia, and School of Medical Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia
| | - Dominic W. Burg
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, NSW, Australia, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Science Faculty, Istanbul University, Vezneciler, Istanbul, Turkey, Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry Facility, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, NSW, Australia, and School of Medical Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia
| | - Haluk Ertan
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, NSW, Australia, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Science Faculty, Istanbul University, Vezneciler, Istanbul, Turkey, Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry Facility, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, NSW, Australia, and School of Medical Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia
| | - Mark J. Raftery
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, NSW, Australia, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Science Faculty, Istanbul University, Vezneciler, Istanbul, Turkey, Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry Facility, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, NSW, Australia, and School of Medical Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia
| | - Anne Poljak
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, NSW, Australia, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Science Faculty, Istanbul University, Vezneciler, Istanbul, Turkey, Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry Facility, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, NSW, Australia, and School of Medical Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia
| | - Michael Guilhaus
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, NSW, Australia, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Science Faculty, Istanbul University, Vezneciler, Istanbul, Turkey, Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry Facility, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, NSW, Australia, and School of Medical Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia
| | - Ricardo Cavicchioli
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, NSW, Australia, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Science Faculty, Istanbul University, Vezneciler, Istanbul, Turkey, Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry Facility, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, NSW, Australia, and School of Medical Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia
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Boden R, Thomas E, Savani P, Kelly DP, Wood AP. Novel methylotrophic bacteria isolated from the River Thames (London, UK). Environ Microbiol 2008; 10:3225-36. [PMID: 18681896 DOI: 10.1111/j.1462-2920.2008.01711.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Enrichment and elective culture for methylotrophs from sediment of the River Thames in central London yielded a diversity of pure cultures representing several genera of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, which were mainly of organisms not generally regarded as typically methylotrophic. Substrates leading to successful isolations included methanol, monomethylamine, dimethylamine, trimethylamine, methanesulfonate and dimethylsulfone. Several isolates were studied in detail and shown by their biochemical and morphological properties and 16S rRNA gene sequencing to be Sphingomonas melonis strain ET35, Mycobacterium fluoranthenivorans strain DSQ3, Rhodococcus erythropolis strain DSQ4, Brevibacterium casei strain MSQ5, Klebsiella oxytoca strains MMA/F and MMA/1, Pseudomonas mendocina strain TSQ4, and Flavobacterium sp. strains MSA/1 and MMA/2. The results show that facultative methylotrophy is present across a wide range of Bacteria, suggesting that turnover of diverse C(1)-compounds is of much greater microbiological and environmental significance than is generally thought. The origins of the genes encoding the enzymes of methylotrophy in diverse heterotrophs need further study, and could further our understanding of the phylogeny and antiquity of methylotrophic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rich Boden
- Department of Life Sciences, King's College London, Franklin Wilkins Building, 150 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NH, UK
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