Microorganisms thrive in extreme environments and are known for synthesizing valuable metabolites. Salt-loving microorganisms can flourish in saline environments which inhibit the growth of other microbial life, and they possess the potential to produce stable and novel biomolecules for the use in biotechnological applications, including anticancer compounds. Sambhar Lake is the largest inland soda lake in India and is an appropriate habitat for halophilic bacterial and archaeal strains in terms of diversity and potential production of bioactive compounds. In the present study, a moderately halo-alkaliphilic bacterial strain C12A1 was isolated from Sambhar Lake, located in Rajasthan, India. C12A1 was gram-positive, motile, rod-shaped, formed oval endospores, produced carotenoids, and exhibited optimal growth at 37 °C in 10–15% NaCl (pH 8). C12A1 was found to be able to hydrolyze skimmed milk, gelatin, and Tween 80 but unable to hydrolyze starch and carboxymethylcellulose. C12A1 showed 98.87% and 98.50% identity in 16S rRNA gene sequence to P. halophilus and P. salipiscarius, respectively. Nevertheless, C12A1 was clustered within the clade consisting of P. salipiscarius strains, but it showed a distinct lineage. Thus, C12A1 was designated as Piscibacillus sp. Cell proliferation assay results showed that C12A1 broth extract (BEP) decreased cell viability in breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells, which was confirmed by the MTT (3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. Induction of cell toxicity was visualized by microscopy. Reverse Transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) analysis demonstrated that BEP inhibited the expression of proliferative B-cell lymphoma-extra large (Bcl-xL) and cell cycle marker Cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) at transcript levels. Similarly, cell migration and colony formation along with mesenchymal marker vimentin and stem cell marker BMI transcripts were found to be inhibited when cells were treated with the BEP. The anti-breast cancer potential of C12A1 indicates that microorganisms inhabiting saline-alkaline habitats, with Piscibacillus sp. in particular, are a promising source for discovery of novel bioactive substances.

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Plastic is widely used in every sector due to its stability, durability, and low cost. The widespread use of plastic results in the compilation of plastic waste in the environment. The buildup of such a vast volume of plastic garbage has emerged as the primary cause of environmental pollution, including air, land, and water pollution. Plastics contain various harmful chemicals and toxic substances that can leak and adversely affect humans and other organisms. Managing this much plastic waste is a very challenging task; therefore, an appropriate technique is needed to address this problem. Various methods are used, such as chemical, physical, and biological, to degrade plastic waste. Bacterial degradation is known to be the most effective technique for the biodegradation approach to overcome this issue. Biodegradation has played a crucial role in removing these polluting wastes more efficiently and eco-friendly. The process of biodegradation involves a variety of bacteria, such as Acinetobacter baumannii, Bacillus weihenstephanensis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Rhodococcus ruber, and so on.Biodegradation of plastic takes place through various biochemical pathways, including biodeterioration, biofragmentation, assimilation, and mineralization. During biodegradation, bacteria produce enzymes like esterase, cutinase, laccase, lipase, and others that break down and transform plastic polymers into microbial biomass and gases. This review aims to explain how bacteria contribute to the breakdown of plastic.

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