ANTIBIOFOULING BIOMATERIALS

Antifouling refers to the process of control of fouling which occurs on liquid-solid surfaces. The term ‘fouling’ indicates an undesirable natural succession process during biofilm formation, in which a submerged surface or membranes becomes encrusted with material from the surrounding environment. It mainly involves microorganisms and their by-products developed on the surface by conditioning, attachment, biofilm formation followed by colonization. The accumulation of micro and macrofoulers on immersed structures results in economic as well as environmental losses. It is one of the major vulnerable problems currently disturbing many ecological niches as well as in shipping and other industrial aquatic processes. The existence of natural antifouling agents or biomaterials provides sustainable eco-friendly control and hence remains a challenge for future researchers. The use of biological tools for control of fouling is gaining importance day by day

Arid ecosystem: future option for carbon sinks using microbial community intelligence

Desert, comprising one-third of the Earth’s surface, was a synonym for ‘no life’ as it supports very less or no life due to nutritional stress and extreme weather. Microbial autotrophic biochemistry is the principal source of carbon in arid environment, but understanding of these processes in arid ecosystem is limited. Emerging molecular tools have identified associations of phototrophic and chemolithoautotrophic communities often termed as ‘biological soil crust’ or ‘microbiotic crust’. They are the sole sources of carbon and nitrogen, collectively providing soil stability to support vegetation. Here the curiosity arises, whether this phenomenon could be exploited in deserts for carbon sink using microbial community intelligence. By following the precipitation event under regulated nutrient supply that promotes the soil microbial intelligence for autotrophy would enrich soil carbon and nitrogen which in turn support plant growth in desert. Additionally, bioaugmentation of rhizobacteria could enhance the process. This will enable us to refine and formulate our strategies to exploit CO2-fixing microorganisms in such niches vis-à-vis supporting the carbon sink using microbial community intelligence

Genome Sequence of Lactobacillus plantarum EGD-AQ4, Isolated from Fermented Product of Northeast India

We present a draft genome sequence of Lactobacillus plantarum strain EGD-AQ4, isolated from nonalcoholic fermented bamboo shoot products of Northeast India. The size of the draft genome sequence is the largest among all the reported genome sequences of Lactobacillus plantarum, thus enabling the exploration of new gene clusters involved in various functional and probiotic attributes

Renewing and Restoring Sewage using RENEU

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Genome Sequencing and Analysis of Strains Bacillus sp. AKBS9 and Acinetobacter sp. AKBS16 for Biosurfactant Production and Bioremediation

Microbial genomics facilitates the analysis of microbial attributes, which can be applied in bioremediation of pollutants and oil recovery process. The biosurfactants derived from microbes can replace the chemical surfactants, which are ecologically detrimental. The aim of this work was to study the genetic organization responsible for biodegradation of aromatics and biosurfactant production in potential microbes isolated from polluted soil. Bacterial isolates were tested for biosurfactant production, wherein Bacillus sp. AKBS9 and Acinetobacter sp. AKBS16 exhibited highest biosurfactant production potential. Whole genome sequencing and annotations revealed the occurrence of sfp and NPRS gene in the Bacillibactin biosynthetic gene cluster in AKBS9 strain and emulsan biosynthetic gene cluster in AKBS16 strain for biosurfactant production. Various aromatic compound ring cleaving oxygenases scavenging organic molecules could be annotated for strain AKBS16 using RAST annotations

Processing of poultry feathers by alkaline keratin hydrolyzing enzyme from Serratia sp. HPC 1383

The present study describes the production and characterization of a feather hydrolyzing enzyme by Serratia sp. HPC 1383 isolated from tannery sludge, which was identified by the ability to form clear zones around colonies on milk agar plates. The proteolytic activity was expressed in terms of the micromoles of tyrosine released from substrate casein per ml per min (U/mL min). Induction of the inoculum with protein was essential to stimulate higher activity of the enzyme, with 0.03% feathermeal in the inoculum resulting in increased enzyme activity (45 U/mL) that further increased to 90 U/mL when 3 d old inoculum was used. The highest enzyme activity, 130 U/mL, was observed in the presence of 0.2% yeast extract. The optimum assay temperature and pH for the enzyme were found to be 60 �C and 10.0, respectively. The enzyme had a half-life of 10 min at 60 �C, which improved slightly to 18 min in presence of 1 mM Ca2+. Inhibition of the enzyme by phenylmethyl sulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) indicated that the enzyme was a serine protease. The enzyme was also partially inhibited (39%) by the reducing agent b-mercaptoethanol and by divalent metal ions such as Zn2+ (41% inhibition). However, Ca2+ and Fe2+ resulted in increases in enzyme activity of 15% and 26%, respectively. The kinetic constants of the keratinase were found to be 3.84 lM (Km) and 108.7 lM/mL min (Vmax). These results suggest that this extracellular keratinase may be a useful alternative and eco-friendly route for handling the abundant amount of waste feathers or for applications in other industrial processes

Genome Sequencing and Analysis of Strains Bacillus sp. AKBS9 and Acinetobacter sp. AKBS16 for Biosurfactant Production and Bioremediation

Microbial genomics facilitates the analysis of microbial attributes, which can be applied in bioremediation of pollutants and oil recovery process. The biosurfactants derived from microbes can replace the chemical surfactants, which are ecologically detrimental. The aim of this work was to study the genetic organization responsible for biodegradation of aromatics and biosurfactant production in potential microbes isolated from polluted soil. Bacterial isolates were tested for biosurfactant production, wherein Bacillus sp. AKBS9 and Acinetobacter sp. AKBS16 exhibited highest biosurfactant production potential. Whole genome sequencing and annotations revealed the occurrence of sfp and NPRS gene in the Bacillibactin biosynthetic gene cluster in AKBS9 strain and emulsan biosynthetic gene cluster in AKBS16 strain for biosurfactant production. Various aromatic compound ring cleaving oxygenases scavenging organic molecules could be annotated for strain AKBS16 using RAST annotations

Tracking of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans in subgingival plaque of aggressive periodontitis patients

Background: Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans is thought to be one of the etiological agents in aggressive periodontitis as well as indicated in various systemic diseases. Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of A. actinomycetemcomitans in the subgingival plaque of aggressive periodontitis patients. Study Design: Initially, under the selective growth conditions, the isolates were picked from the plaques and their identification was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction using primers specific for A. actinomycetemcomitans subgingival plaque of 15 patients diagnosed clinically and on radiographic criteria as aggressive periodontitis was inoculated on the Tryptic Soy agar with Bacitracin and Vancomycin culture media for 3-5 days under microaerophilic conditions. The positive colonies were selected based on biochemical tests for further analysis using reported primers for A. actinomycetemcomitans. Results: The results showed that 66.67% of aggressive periodontitis patients and 6.67% of control group of normal patients showed evidence of presence of A. actinomycetemcomitans in the subgingival microflora. Conclusion: This is the first study of its kind in an Indian population whereby almost all aggressive periodontitis patients showed evidence of A. actinomycetemcomitans