Structure and Functional Relationship of Halotolerant Proteins- A Review.

ABSTRACT

With increasing need for various industries for stable enzymes which can outperform under harsh conditions of pH, temperature and saline environments evoke the need for extensive research on extremophilic microorganisms which found to be a suitable source for enzymes with novel properties. Especially, enzymes capable of functioning over a wide range of salt concentrations are in great demand for industries which mainly include proteases, xylanases, mannases, lipases, amylases and cellulases. In case of halophilic, extremely halophilic or halotolerant organisms it has been scientifically proven that there is a correlation between the salt requirement and bacterial growth and its enzymatic activities. When compared to halophilic organism, halotolerant bacteria can survive from low to moderate level of salinity, which gives them unique property over halophilic organisms. The halotolerant organisms synthesize enzymes with greater conformational stability and they can be potentially employed in many industrial processes even under harsher conditions over a range of salinity conditions where enzymes from non-halophilic and halophilic organisms found to be unfit. Less research has been carried out on halotolerant organisms when compared to thermophilic, alkaliphilic and halophilic organisms and so yet to explore the biotechnological applications of these halotolerant enzymes to use them in industrial applications.