Anaerobranca gottschalkii sp. nov., a novel thermoalkaliphilic bacterium that grows anaerobically at high pH and temperature.

A novel thermoalkaliphilic, obligately anaerobic bacterium was isolated from a humid soil sample of a hot inlet of Lake Bogoria, Kenya. The newly isolated strain grows optimally at pH 9.5 and 50-55 degrees C and its growth range is pH 6.0-10.5 and 30-65 degrees C. Unlike the already known thermoalkaliphiles, the strain grows heterotrophically on a variety of mono- and polysaccharides (glucose, ribose, mannose, fructose, sucrose, maltose, starch, pullulan, xylan and cellulose) and on proteinaceous substrates such as yeast extract, peptone and tryptone. No dissimilatory sulfate reduction was observed, whereas thiosulfate was found to enhance growth when glucose or starch were used as substrates. Under optimal conditions, the doubling time is 48 min. Sodium ions are necessary for growth, with an optimal concentration of 230 mM (1% NaCl, w/v) at pH 9.5. The rod-shaped cells are motile in the exponential growth phase under optimal growth conditions. Despite the Gram-negative staining and negative KOH assay, the strain is a Gram-positive organism, having an atypically thin cell wall. A sheath-like structure occurs at the cell separation area and parts of a surface layer-like structure were also observed. Based on physiological properties and molecular biological analysis, the strain falls within the radiation of the clostridia and represents a new species of Anaerobranca within the Clostridium/Bacillus subphylum of the Gram-positive bacteria. Strain LBS3T (= DSM 13577T) is named Anaerobranca gottschalkii sp. nov. and is designated as the type strain.

Characterization of the xylanases from the new isolated thermophilic xylan-degrading Bacillus thermoleovorans strain K-3d and Bacillus flavothermus strain LB3A.

Three strictly aerobic strains (K-1, K-3d and K-4) were isolated from a hot-spring in Kobe, Japan, and a facultative anaerobic strain LB3A was isolated from sediments collected from the alkaline Lake Bogoria, Kenya. All strains were thermophilic and capable of growth on xylan. On the basis of morphological, physiological and phylogenetic studies the new aerobic isolates resemble the thermophilic species Bacillus thermoleovorans while the facultative anaerobic isolate LB3A resembles the facultative anaerobic thermophilic species Bacillus flavothermus. When grown on xylan as sole carbon source, all isolates produce thermoactive xylanases, Xylanases from strains K-3d and LB3A are active at temperatures between 40 and 90 degrees C and pH values between 5.0 and 9.0. Applying SDS-PAGE the crude xylanase complex of isolate K-3d was shown to be composed of two active bands, with molecular masses of 40 and 69 kDa. The crude xylanase complex of isolate LB3A, on the other hand, is composed of at least four activity bands with molecular masses ranging from 80 to 130 kDa. Due to the product pattern of xylan hydrolysis both enzymes are classified as endoxylanases. The xylanolytic enzyme system of isolate K-3d produces xylotriose, xylotetraose and larger xylooligosacharides, whereas the xylanases from isolate LB3A release xylotetraose as the major product of hydrolysis.

Sodium-coupled energy transduction in the newly isolated thermoalkaliphilic strain LBS3.

Strain LBS3 is a novel anaerobic thermoalkaliphilic bacterium that grows optimally at pH 9.5 and 50 degrees C. Since a high concentration of Na+ ions is required for growth, we have analyzed the primary bioenergetic mechanism of energy transduction in this organism. For this purpose, a method was devised for the isolation of right-side-out membrane vesicles that are functional for the energy-dependent uptake of solutes. A strict requirement for Na+ was observed for the uptake of several amino acids, and in the case of L-leucine, it was concluded that amino acid uptake occurs in symport with Na+ ions. Further characterization of the leucine transport system revealed that its pH and temperature optima closely match the conditions that support the growth of strain LBS3. The ATPase activity associated with inside-out membrane vesicles was found to be stimulated by both Na+ and Li+ ions. These data suggest that the primary mechanism of energy transduction in the anaerobic thermoalkaliphilic strain LBS3 is dependent on sodium cycling. The implications of this finding for the mechanism of intracellular pH regulation are discussed.