A comparative GC-MS analysis of bioactive secondary metabolites produced by halotolerant Bacillus spp. isolated from the Great Sebkha of Oran.

The reemergence of infectious diseases and resistant pathogens represents a serious problem for human life. Hence, the screening for new or alternative antimicrobial compounds is still urgent. Unusual ecosystems such as saline habitats are considered promising environments for the purposes of isolating bacterial strains able to produce potent natural products. The aim of this study is the identification of bioactive compounds biosynthesized by three halotolerant strains isolated from the Sebkha of Oran (Algeria) using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Primary screening investigation of antimicrobial activities were performed against reference bacterial and fungal strains and revealed a broad-spectrum activity. Secondary metabolite extraction was carried out using ethyl acetate and chloroform. Crude extracts were tested for bioactivity using the disc diffusion method and subjected to GC-MS analysis. The extracts showed an important inhibitory effect against all tested strains. Fifty-six compounds were identified; they include tert-butyl phenol compounds, fatty acid methyl esters due to the methylation procedure, hydrocarbons, aldehydes, benzoquinones, pyrrols, and terpenes. Literature reports such compounds to have wide biological and pharmaceutical applications. The molecular identification of the three isolates was achieved using the 16S-23S rRNA gene intergenic spacer region (ITS) and 16S rRNA sequencing. Partial 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed very high similarity with many species of Bacillus. This study provided insights on the potential of halotolerant Bacillus as drug research target for bioactive metabolites. The findings suggest that the Great Sebkha of Oran is a valuable source of strains exhibiting variety of beneficial attributes that can be utilized in the development of biological antibiotics.

Genomic characterization of a polyvalent hydrocarbonoclastic bacterium Pseudomonas sp. strain BUN14.

Bioremediation offers a viable alternative for the reduction of contaminants from the environment, particularly petroleum and its recalcitrant derivatives. In this study, the ability of a strain of Pseudomonas BUN14 to degrade crude oil, pristane and dioxin compounds, and to produce biosurfactants, was investigated. BUN14 is a halotolerant strain isolated from polluted sediment recovered from the refinery harbor on the Bizerte coast, north Tunisia and capable of producing surfactants. The strain BUN14 was assembled into 22 contigs of 4,898,053 bp with a mean GC content of 62.4%. Whole genome phylogeny and comparative genome analyses showed that strain BUN14 could be affiliated with two validly described Pseudomonas Type Strains, P. kunmingensis DSM 25974T and P. chloritidismutans AW-1T. The current study, however, revealed that the two Type Strains are probably conspecific and, given the priority of the latter, we proposed that P. kunmingensis DSM 25974 is a heteronym of P. chloritidismutans AW-1T. Using GC-FID analysis, we determined that BUN14 was able to use a range of hydrocarbons (crude oil, pristane, dibenzofuran, dibenzothiophene, naphthalene) as a sole carbon source. Genome analysis of BUN14 revealed the presence of a large repertoire of proteins (154) related to xenobiotic biodegradation and metabolism. Thus, 44 proteins were linked to the pathways for complete degradation of benzoate and naphthalene. The annotation of conserved functional domains led to the detection of putative genes encoding enzymes of the rhamnolipid biosynthesis pathway. Overall, the polyvalent hydrocarbon degradation capacity of BUN14 makes it a promising candidate for application in the bioremediation of polluted saline environments.

Genome analysis provides insights into crude oil degradation and biosurfactant production by extremely halotolerant Halomonas desertis G11 isolated from Chott El-Djerid salt-lake in Tunisian desert.

Here, we report the genomic features and the bioremediation potential of Halomonas desertis G11, a new halophilic species which uses crude oil as a carbon and energy source and displays intrinsic resistance to salt stress conditions (optimum growth at 10% NaCl). G11 genome (3.96 Mb) had a mean GC content of 57.82%, 3622 coding sequences, 480 subsystems and 64 RNA genes. Annotation predicted 38 genes involved in osmotic stress including the biosynthesis of osmoprotectants glycine-betaine, ectoine and osmoregulated periplasmic glucans. Genome analysis revealed also the versatility of the strain for emulsifying crude oil and metabolizing hydrocarbons. The ability of G11 to degrade crude oil components and to secrete a glycolipid biosurfactant with satisfying properties was experimentally confirmed and validated. Our results help to explain the exceptional capacity of G11 to survive at extreme desertic conditions, and highlight the metabolic features of this organism that has biotechnological and ecological potentialities.

Effect of combined long-term starvation and γ-irradiation on membrane fatty acids and cell surface hydrophobicity of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium.

This study was carried out to explore the adaptive mechanisms of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, in particular the implication of fatty acids (FA) in the remodeling of membrane lipid composition to overcome the combined effects of long-term starvation and γ-irradiation stresses. In addition, cell surface hydrophobicity was also evaluated. The bacterial strains (control and starved) were treated with a nonlethal γ-irradiation dose of 0.5 kGy and sublethal doses of 1 kGy. Gas chromatography analysis showed that the FA composition of starved and γ-irradiated cells was modified. However starvation combined with γ-irradiation induced more modifications in the FA composition than γ-irradiation or starvation alone. Indeed, the unsaturated FA-to-saturated FA ratio decreased significantly for both strains compared with γ-irradiated cells, as main consequence of the cyclic FA formation. Our results showed that starvation, irradiation, or combined stresses significantly influenced the hydrophobicity, and this may have affected the virulence state of Salmonella Typhimurium cells. This study represents one of the few to demonstrate the modifications on bacterial membrane as a cellular response to survive to the ionizing radiation combined with long-term starvation stress.