Halomonas profundus sp. nov., a new PHA-producing bacterium isolated from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent shrimp

Abstract

Aims: The objective of the present work was to describe a new deep‐sea, aerobic, mesophilic and heterotrophic bacterium, referenced as strain AT1214, able to produce polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) under laboratory conditions. This bacterium was isolated from a shrimp collected nearby a hydrothermal vent located on the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge. Methods and Results: This micro‐organism, on the basis of the phenotypical features and genotypic investigations, can be clearly assigned to the Halomonas genus and the name of Halomonas profundus is proposed. Optimal growth occurred between 32 and 37°C at a pH between 8 and 9 and at ionic strength between 20 and 30 g l−1 of sea salts. The G + C content of DNA was 58·6%. This bacterium produced PHAs of poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) and poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyvalerate) from different carbon sources. Conclusions: The bacterium H. profundus produces PHA of 3HB and 3HV monomers from different carbon sources. Significance and Impact of the Study: PHAs share physical and material properties that suggest them for application in various areas, and are considered as an alternative to nonbiodegradable plastics produced from fossil oils. In this study, we describe a new bacteria isolated from a deep‐sea hydrothermal vent with the capability to produce polyesters of biotechnological interest.

Phylogenetic identification of marine bacteria isolated from deep-sea sediments of the eastern South Atlantic Ocean

“…This result was expected considering that this genus is widespread in the marine environment, and its cultivation has been reported in several types of samples collected from deep-sea ecosystems, including sediments from hydrothermal vents, from abyssal plains and sub-surface, invertebrates and water, sometimes as dominant microorganisms (Xu et al 2005; Kaye and Baross 2000; Kaye et al 2004; Simon-Colin et al 2008; Kaye et al 2011). The widespread occurrence of Halomonas has been associated with its great physiological and metabolic versatility, which was demonstrated by their capability to assimilate a great variety of carbon sources, and by the growth of these bacteria in a wide range of salinities, temperatures and pressures (Okamoto et al 2004; Kaye and Baross 2004).…”

“…In short, there is a paucity of studies on cultivable bacteria from the abyssal plains, despite the importance to biotechnology (Arahal and Ventosa 2006; Simon-Colin et al 2008; Pettit 2011), for the description of new species and to understand physiological aspects that are relevant to the survival of deep-sea microorganisms. Therefore, the aim of this study was the isolation of microorganisms from sediment samples collected on the abyssal plains of the Eastern South Atlantic Ocean and their phylogenetic identification.…”

Unusual Glycosaminoglycans from a Deep Sea Hydrothermal Bacterium Improve Fibrillar Collagen Structuring and Fibroblast Activities in Engineered Connective Tissues

“…Thus, in the deepest abysses, despite extreme conditions, hydrothermal vent chimneys support complex ecosystems comprising eubacteria, archaebacteria, protozoan’s, arthropods, mollusks and fish. Among the deep sea hydrothermal microorganisms, a wide variety of mesophilic bacteria had been isolated to produce innovative compounds of biopolymers, such as polyesters (polyhydroxyalkanoates) and polysaccharides (exopolysaccharides) [24,25]. …”

Rapid and qualitative fluorescence-based method for the assessment of PHA production in marine bacteria during batch culture

“…The most promising halophilic PHA-producing bacteria have been identified in the archaeal genera, especially Haloferax, Halogeometricum, Haloarcula and Holoccus (Legat et al 2010;Quillaguamán et al 2010;Salgaonkar et al 2013), as well as belonging to the eubacterial family Halomonadaceae. Among members of this family, Halomonas boliviensis attains PHA yields and volumetric productivities close to the highest levels reported so far (Simon-Coli et al 2008; Van-Thuoc et al 2008;Quillaguamán et al 2010). Phenotypic and biochemical characterization of isolate SF/2003 reveals that it is a motile rod-shaped and non-spore-forming Gram-negative bacterium.…”