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Das S, Das A, Das N, Nath T, Langthasa M, Pandey P, Kumar V, Choure K, Kumar S, Pandey P. Harnessing the potential of microbial keratinases for bioconversion of keratin waste. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2024; 31:57478-57507. [PMID: 38985428 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-34233-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024]
Abstract
The increasing global consumption of poultry meat has led to the generation of a vast quantity of feather keratin waste daily, posing significant environmental challenges due to improper disposal methods. A growing focus is on utilizing keratinous polymeric waste, amounting to millions of tons annually. Keratins are biochemically rigid, fibrous, recalcitrant, physiologically insoluble, and resistant to most common proteolytic enzymes. Microbial biodegradation of feather keratin provides a viable solution for augmenting feather waste's nutritional value while mitigating environmental contamination. This approach offers an alternative to traditional physical and chemical treatments. This review focuses on the recent findings and work trends in the field of keratin degradation by microorganisms (bacteria, actinomycetes, and fungi) via keratinolytic and proteolytic enzymes, as well as the limitations and challenges encountered due to the low thermal stability of keratinase, and degradation in the complex environmental conditions. Therefore, recent biotechnological interventions such as designing novel keratinase with high keratinolytic activity, thermostability, and binding affinity have been elaborated here. Enhancing protein structural rigidity through critical engineering approaches, such as rational design, has shown promise in improving the thermal stability of proteins. Concurrently, metagenomic annotation offers insights into the genetic foundations of keratin breakdown, primarily predicting metabolic potential and identifying probable keratinases. This may extend the understanding of microbial keratinolytic mechanisms in a complex community, recognizing the significance of synergistic interactions, which could be further utilized in optimizing industrial keratin degradation processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandeep Das
- Department of Microbiology, Assam University, Silchar, 788011, Assam, India
| | - Ankita Das
- Department of Microbiology, Assam University, Silchar, 788011, Assam, India
| | - Nandita Das
- Department of Microbiology, Assam University, Silchar, 788011, Assam, India
| | - Tamanna Nath
- Department of Microbiology, Assam University, Silchar, 788011, Assam, India
| | | | - Prisha Pandey
- Department of Biotechnology, Royal Global University, Guwahati, 781035, Assam, India
| | - Vijay Kumar
- Himalayan School of Biosciences, Swami Rama Himalayan University, Dehradun, India, 248016
| | - Kamlesh Choure
- Department of Biotechnology, AKS University, Satna, 485001, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Sanjeev Kumar
- Department of Life Sciences and Bioinformatics, Assam University, Silchar, 788011, Assam, India
| | - Piyush Pandey
- Department of Microbiology, Assam University, Silchar, 788011, Assam, India.
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Fungal Catastrophe of a Specimen Room: Just One Week is Enough to Eradicate Traces of Thousands of Animals. J Microbiol 2023; 61:189-197. [PMID: 36745333 DOI: 10.1007/s12275-023-00017-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Indoor fungi obtain carbon sources from natural sources and even recalcitrant biodegradable materials, such as plastics and synthetic dye. Their vigorous activity may have negative consequences, such as structural damage to building materials or the destruction of precious cultural materials. The animal specimen room of the Seoul National University stocked 36,000 animal resources that had been well-maintained for over 80 years. Due to abandonment without the management of temperature and humidity during the rainy summer season, many stuffed animal specimens had been heavily colonized by fungi. To investigate the fungal species responsible for the destruction of the historical specimens, we isolated fungi from the stuffed animal specimens and identified them at the species level based on morphology and molecular analysis of the β-tubulin (BenA) gene. A total of 365 strains were isolated and identified as 26 species in Aspergillus (10 spp.), Penicillium (14 spp.), and Talaromyces (2 spp.). Penicillium brocae and Aspergillus sydowii were isolated from most sections of the animal specimens and have damaged the feathers and beaks of valuable specimens. Our findings indicate that within a week of mismanagement, it takes only a few fungal species to wipe out the decades of history of animal diversity. The important lesson here is to prevent this catastrophe from occurring again through a continued interest, not to put all previous efforts to waste.
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Abed RM. Exploring Fungal Biodiversity of Genus Epicoccum and Their Biotechnological Potential. Fungal Biol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-67561-5_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Hamm PS, Mueller RC, Kuske CR, Porras-Alfaro A. Keratinophilic fungi: Specialized fungal communities in a desert ecosystem identified using cultured-based and Illumina sequencing approaches. Microbiol Res 2020; 239:126530. [PMID: 32622287 DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2020.126530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2020] [Revised: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Soil fungi in desert ecosystems are adapted to harsh environmental conditions such as high soil surface temperatures and limited organic matter and water. Given limited carbon inputs from plant material, heterotrophic fungi likely use unconventional sources of carbon in these systems. A baiting method was used to culture keratinophilic fungi from biocrust and rhizosphere soils in an arid grassland in Utah, USA. Fungi were baited using llama and sheep wool, horsehair, and snakeskin on two media, and pure cultures were identified using ITS and LSU rRNA sequences. One hundred-eighteen fungal colonies were grown, representing a total of 32 Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) at 97 % similarity. Cultures were dominated by the phylum Ascomycota (88 %) followed by Mucoromycota (8.6 %) and Basidiomycota (3.4 %). The orders Pleosporales, Eurotiales, Hypocreales, and Sordariales were commonly isolated, with the dominant taxa Alternaria (27 %), Aspergillus (22 %), Fusarium (11 %), and Chaetomium (8%). Thirty percent of the fungi isolated have the capacity to degrade keratin in vitro using a keratin azure assay, with Penicillium showing the highest degradation followed by Geomyces, Alternaria, and Fusarium. Although keratin degraders can be infectious, dermatophytes associated with skin infections were not isolated in culture or detected in Illumina sequencing. Illumina sequencing was used to determine general patterns in seasonal variation and habitat preference of keratinophiles. Alternaria was the most abundant genus with >70 % of the sequences. The combination of Illumina data with culture-dependent approaches facilitated the characterization of a specialized community and confirmed the low abundance of dermatophytes in this arid site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paris S Hamm
- Western Illinois University, Biological Sciences, Macomb, IL, 61455, USA; University of New Mexico, Department of Biology, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Rebecca C Mueller
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA; Los Alamos National Laboratory Montana State University, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Bozeman MT 59717, USA
| | - Cheryl R Kuske
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA
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Nosratabadi M, Kordbacheh P, Kachuei R, Safara M, Rezaie S, Afshari MA. Isolation of keratinophilic fungi from the soil of islands of Greater Tunb, Abu-Musa and Sirri, Persian Gulf, Iran. Curr Med Mycol 2017. [DOI: 10.29252/cmm.3.2.13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
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