Antifouling activities of marine bacteria associated with sponge (Sigmadocia sp.)

The present study aimed at assessing the antifouling activity of bacteria associated with marine sponges. A total of eight bacterial strains were isolated from the surface of sponge Sigmadocia sp., of them, SS02, SS05 and SS06 showed inhibitory activity against biofilm-forming bacteria. The extracts of these 3 strains considerably affected the extracellular polymeric substance producing ability and adhesion of biofilm-forming bacterial strains. In addition to disc diffusion assay, microalgal settlement assay was carried out with the extracts mixed with polyurethane wood polish and coated onto stainless steel coupons. The extract of strain SS05 showed strong microalgal settlement inhibitory activity. Strain SS05 was identified as Bacillus cereus based on its 16S rRNA gene. Metabolites of the bacterial strains associated with marine invertebrates promise to be developed into environment-friendly antifouling agents.     

Exopolysaccharides from marine bacteria

Microbial polysaccharides represent a class of important products of growing interest for many sectors of industry. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in isolating new exopolysaccharides (EPSs)-producing bacteria from marine environments, particularly from various extreme marine environments. Many new marine microbial EPSs with novel chemical compositions, properties and structures have been found to have potential applications in fields such as adhesives, textiles, pharmaceuticals and medicine for anti-cancer, food additives, oil recovery and metal removal in mining and industrial waste treatments, etc. This paper gives a brief summary of the information about the EPSs produced by marine bacteria, including their chemical compositions, properties and structures, together with their potential applications in industry.     

Antimicrobial activities of novel cultivable bacteria isolated from marine sponge Tedania anhelans

Marine sponge Tedania anhelans distributes throughout the intertidal zone of Fujian, southeastern China, and is a potential source of natural bioactive products. The sponge harbors a large number of bacterial groups that have been identified using various techniques, including fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). Fractionation of dissociated sponge allowed isolation of 25 bacterial species. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing, phylogenetic analysis attributed most of these eubacteria to α-Proteobacteria, γ-Proteobacteria, Cytophaga/Flavobacterium/Bacteroidetes (CFB group), and the family Bacillaceae of Gram-positive bacteria. In sequence similarity, five putatively novel species were identified with less than 98% similarity to other strains in the NCBI database. Tests for antimicrobial activities were performed against Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, fungi, antitumor indicators Escherichia coli 343/591 (with DNA repair deficiency), regular E. coli 343/636 (with different DNA repair capacity), and 10 bacterial isolates exhibited inhibitory bioactivities. Among these strains, three isolates were detected involving function gene NRPS-A domains, which were most closely related to the amino acid sequences of linear gramicidin synthetase and pyoverdine synthetase. These results contribute to our knowledge of the microbes associated with marine sponges and further reveal novel bacterial resources for the screening of bioactive marine natural products.     

Screening on DHA-producing Antarctic bacteria N- 6 and its cultural conditions

1 IntroductionPolyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have remained as a natural product due to thesynthetic difficulty of reproducing the methylene interrupted double bond sequence by in-dustrial chemistry. Their significance to animals and humans lies in th…     

Inhibitory activity of an extract from a marine bacterium Halomonas sp. HSB07 against the red-tide microalga Gymnodinium sp. （Pyrrophyta）

In recent years, red tides occurred frequently in coastal areas worldwide. Various methods based on the use of clay, copper sulfate, and bacteria have been successful in controlling red tides to some extent. As a new defensive agent, marine microorganisms are important sources of compounds with potent inhibitory bioactivities against red-tide microalgae, such as Gymnodinium sp. （Pyrrophyta）. In this study, we isolated a marine bacterium, HSB07, from seawater collected from Hongsha Bay, Sanya, South China Sea. Based on its 16S rRNA gene sequence and biochemical characteristics, the isolated strain HSB07 was identified as a member of the genus Halomonas. A crude ethyl acetate extract of strain HSB07 showed moderate inhibition activity against Gymnodinium sp. in a bioactive prescreening experiment. The extract was further separated into fractions A, B, and C by silica gel column chromatography. Fractions B and C showed strong inhibition activities against Gymnodinium. This is the first report of inhibitory activity of secondary metabolites of a Halomonas bacterium against a red-tide-causing microalga.     

Bromophenols from marine algae with potential anti-diabetic activities

Marine algae contain various bromophenols with a variety of biological activities,including antimicrobial,anticancer,and anti-diabetic effects.Here,we briefly review the recent progress in researches on the biomaterials from marine algae,emphasizing the relationship between the structure and the potential anti-diabetic applications.Bromophenols from marine algae display their hyperglycemic effects by inhibiting the activities of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B,α-glucosidase,as well as other mechanisms.     

Purification and characterization of 2-haloacid dehalogenase from marine bacterium Paracoccus sp. DEH99, isolated from marine sponge Hymeniacidon perlevis

2-haloacid dehalogenases constitute a group of dehalogenases which are capable of dehalogenating the halogenated organic compounds. So far, the 2-haloacid dehalogenases have been found in many bacteria, but not in Paracoccus genus. In the present study, one enzyme 2-haloacid dehalogenase(designated as Deh99), induced by DL-2-chloropropionate(DL-2-CPA), was purified from the marine bacterium Paracoccus sp. DEH99, isolated from marine sponge Hymeniacidon perlevis. The enzyme of Deh99 was purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion exchange chromatography(Q-Sepharose HP), and Superdex 200 gel filtration chromatography. The molecular weight of Deh99 was estimated to be 25.0 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis(SDS-PAGE), and 50.0 kDa natively by gel filtration chromatography. The enzyme of Deh99 stereospecifically dehalogenated L-2-CPA to produce D-lactate, with an apparent Michaelis-Menten constant(Km) value of 0.21 mmol L-1 for L-2-CPA. The optimal pH and temperature for Deh99 activity were 10.0 and 40℃, respectively. The enzyme of Deh99 acted on short-carbon-chain 2-haloacids, with the highest activity towards monochloroacetate. The activity of Deh99 was slightly affected by DTT and EDTA, but strongly inhibited by Cu2+ and Zn2+. The enzyme of Deh99 shows unique substrate specificity and inhibitor sensitivities compared to previously characterized 2-haloacid dehalogenases and is the reported one about purified 2-haloacid dehalogenase isolated from the bacteria of Paracoccus genus.     

Phylogenetic analysis of cultivable bacteria isolated from Arctic sea-ice

Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rDNA of 8 strains of cultivable bacteria isolated from Arctic sea-ice was studied.The results showed that strain BJ1 belonged to genus Planococcus,which was a genus of low mole percent G C gram-positive bacteria;strain BJ6 belonged to genus Burkholderia of β-proteobacteria and the rest 6 strain all belonged to γ-proteobacteria,of which strain BJ8 was a species of Pseudoalteromonas,strain BJ2-BJ5 and BJ7 were members of genus Psychrobacter.Phylogenetic analysis also indicated that bacteria of genus Psychrobacter of the isolates formed a relatively independent phylogenetic cluster in comparison with other bacteria belonged to genus Psychrobacter.     

SCREENING FOR ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITIES IN SOME MARINE ALGAE FROM THE FUJIAN COAST OF CHINA WITH THREE DIFFERENT SOLVENTS

Three different solvents viz ethanol, acetone and methanol-toluene (3:1) were used to extract antibiotics from 23 species of marine algae belonging to the Chlomphyta, Phaeophyta and Rhodophyta. Their crude extracts were tested for antibacterial and antifungal activities. Among them, the ethanol extract showed the strongest activity against the bacteria and fungi tested. Four species of the Rhodophyta (Laurenc/a okamurai, Dasya scoparia, Grateloupia filicina and plocamium telfairiae ) showed a wide spectrum of antibacterial activity. Every solvent extract from the four species was active against all the bacteria tested. The test bacterium Pseudomonas solancearum and the fungus Penicilium citrinum were most sensitive to the extracts of marine algae. In general, the extracts of seaweeds inhibited bacteria more strongly than fungi and species of the Rhodophyta showed the greatest activity against the bacteria and fungi tested.     

Total lipid and fatty acid composition of eight strains of marine diatoms

Fatty acid composition and total lipid content of 8 strains of marine diatoms (Nitzschia frustrula, Nitzschia closterium, Nitzschia incerta, Navicula pelliculosa, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Synedra fragilaroides) were examined. The microalgae were grown under defined conditions and harvested at the late exponential phase. The major fatty acids in most strains were 14∶0 (1.0%–6.3%), 16∶0 (13.5–26.4%), 16∶1n−7 (21.1%–46.3%) and 20∶5n−3 (6.5%–19.5%). The polyunsaturated fatty acids 16∶2n−4, 16∶3n−4, 16∶4n−1 and 20∶4n−6 also comprised a significant proportion of the total fatty acids in some strains. The characteristic fatty acid composition of diatoms is readily distinguishable from those of other microalgal groups. Significant concentration of the polyunsaturated fatty acid 20∶5n−3 (eicosapentaenoic acid) was present in each strain, with the highest proportion in B222 (19.5%). Project supported by the Hi-Tech “863” Programs of the China Ministry of Science and Technology (863-819-02-01).     

Screening of marine fungus from Nanji Island and activity of their metabolites against pathogenic Vibrio from Pseudosciaena crocea

Seventy-eight marine fungal strains were isolated from sediment samples collected off the coast of Nanji Island,Wenzhou,Zhejiang Province,China.Antibacterial screening using the agar disc method showed that 19 of the isolated strains could inhibit at least one pathogenic Vibrio from Pseudosciaena crocea.Subsequent screening confirmed that nine strains produced antibacterial metabolites that had activity against one or several types of pathogenic Vibrio.Strain NJ0104 had the widest antimicrobial spectrum and strong activity,particularly against Vibrio parahaemolyticus-MM0810072.A preliminary study of NJ0104 antibacterial metabolites demonstrated that they had thermal stability up to 80°C,ultraviolet stability up to 40 min and pH stability between 4.0-7.0.In addition,the antibacterial metabolites were readily soluble in butanol.To identify the specific strain,the ITS-5.8S rDNA regions of NJ0104 were PCR amplified and sequenced.Based on the combination of phenotypic and genotypic data,the strain was identified as Arthrinium sp.     

Response of marine microalgae,heterotrophic bacteria and their relationship to enhanced UV-B radiation

Ozone depletion in the stratosphere has enhanced solar UV-B radiation reaching the Earth surface and has brought about significant effects to marine ecosystems. The effects of enhanced UV-B radiation on marine microalgae, heterotrophic bacteria and the interaction between them are discussed. The effects on marine microalgae have been proved to occur at molecular, cellular and population levels. Enhanced UV-B radiation increases microalgal flavonoid content but decreases their chlorophyll content and pho-tosynthesis rate; this rachation induces genetic change and results in DNA damage and change of protein content. There have been fewer studies on the effects of UV-B radiation on marine heterotrophic bacteria. Establishment of a nucroalgal ecological dynamic model at population and community levels under UV-B radiation has gradually become a hotspot. The effects of enhanced UV-B radiation on microalgae communities, heterotrophic bacterial populations and interaction between them will become a focus in the near future. This paper will make an overview on the studies concerning the effects of enhanced UV-B radiation on marine microal-gae and heterotrophic bacteria and the interaction between them.     

Taxonomic Studies on a New Marine Ciliate, Apocoleps magnus gen. nov., spec. nov. （Ciliophora, Colepidae）, Isolated from Qingdao, China

The morphology and infraciliature of a new marine colepid ciliate, Apocoleps magnus gen. nov., spec. nov., are described based on living observations and silver impregnations. The new genus Apocoleps is characterized by having 8 (vs. 6 in most other related genera) armour tiers, spines at both ends of the cell, 3 adoral organelles and plates with 4 reniform uni-windows. Apocoleps magnus spec. nov. is defined by the following features: body elongated and slightly curved, about 100–120μm× 35–45 μm in vivo; an...     

Identification of Antarctic culturable bacteria able to produce diverse enzymes of potential biotechnological interest

It is estimated that more than three quarters of the Earth’s biosphere is in perennially cold environments. Despite the extreme environmental conditions of desiccation and freezing, microbes can coloni...     

Isolation of novel psychrophilic bacteria from Arctic sea ice

The phylogenetic diversity of cuhurable psychrophilic bacteria associated with sea ice from the high latitude regions of Canadian Basin and Chukchi Sea, Arctic, was investigated. A total of 34 psychropilic strains were isolated using three methods of （ Ⅰ ） dilution plating （ at 4 ℃ ）, （ Ⅱ ） bath culturing （ at - 1 ℃ ） and dilution plating, and （ Ⅲ） cold shock （ -20 ℃ for 24 h）, bath culturing and dilution plating under aerobic conditions. Sea-ice samples were exposed to -20 ℃ for 24 h that might reduce the number of common microorganisms and encourage outgrowth of psyehrophilic strains. This process might be able to be introduced to isolation psychrophilic bacteria from other environmental samples in future study. 16S rDNA nearly full-length sequence analysis revealed that psychrophilic strains felled in two phylo- genetic divisions, γ-proteobacteria （in the genera ColweUia,Marinobaeter、Shewanella,Glaciecola,Marinomortas and Pseudoalteromortas ） and Cytophaga-Flexibacter-Baeteroides （ Flavobacterlum and Psyehroflexus）. Fifteen of bacterial isolates quite likely represented novel species （16S rDNA sequence similarity below 98% ）. One of strains （BSi20002） from Canadian Basin showed 100% sequence similarity to that of Marinobacter sp. ANT8277 isolated from the Antarctic Weddell sea ice, suggesting bacteria may have a bipolar distribution at the species level.     

Abundance of general aerobic heterotrophic bacteria in the Bering Sea and Chukchi Sea and their adaptation to temperature

1　IntroductionInthedeepseawithawatertemperaturelowerthan5℃andtheseabottom ,theor ganicmattersareoxidizedmainlybytheaerobicbacteria (BenderandHeggie 1 984;Her bert 1 986) ,whichmeansthattheaerobicbacteriainthisenvironmentareratherabun dant.Thearcticseaareaisanareawhereenvironmentispermanentlycold ,butsomere searchresults (Sahmetal.1 998)indicatethattherearedominantbacteria eubacteriainthearcticseawaterandsediment,andtheiradaptationtotemperaturehasnosubstantialdifferenceincomparisonwiththatof…     

SCREENING OF AGGLUTININS IN MARINE ALGAE FROM FUJIAN COAST OF CHINA

Thirty-three species of marine algae belonging to Rhodophyta, Phaeophyta and Chlorophyta from the Fujian coast were examined for agglutinins with different animal and human erythrocytes. Protein extracts from 26 species were active against at least one type of the erythrocytes tested. There were 3 species (Grateloupia imbricata, lshigefoliacea and Entermorpha prolifera) whose extracts could agglutinate all the erythrocytes used. The lowest protein concentration required to produce erythrocyte agglutination varied remarkably, from 3.1μg/ml to 500μg/ml . The strongest activity was found in the agglutina-tion of rabbit erythrocytes by Gloiopeltis furcata extract. Inhibition assays performed with nine mono- and bisaccharides indicated that agglutinations of rabbit erythrocytes by extracts of 7 species were inhibited by one or more types of the sugars assayed. The agglutinating activity shown by extracts of most species wasnot affected when the test solution was heated to 90℃, but was lost at 95℃ - 100℃. A few extracts losttheir activity at 60 RS, 65 RS and 75 RS, respectively.     

Alkaline protease production by a strain of marine yeasts

Yeast strain 10 with high yield of protease was isolated from sediments of saltern near Qingdao, China. The protease had the highest activity at pH 9.0 and 45℃. The optimal medium for the maximum alkaline protease production of strain 10 was 2.5 g soluble starch and 2.0 g NaNO3 in 100 mL seawater with initial pH6.0. The optimal cultivation conditions for the maximum protease production were temperature 24.5 ℃, aeration rate 8.0 L min^- 1 and agitation speed 150 r min^-1 . Under the optimal conditions, 623.1 Umg^-1 protein of alkaline protease was reached in the culture within 30 h of fermentation.     

Isolation and identification of a bacterium from marine shrimp digestive tract: A new degrader of starch and protein

It is a practical approach to select candidate probiotic bacterial stains on the basis of their special traits. Production of digestive enzyme was used as a trait to select a candidate probiotic bacterial strain in this study. In order to select a bacterium with the ability to degrade both starch and protein, an ideal bacterial strain STE was isolated from marine shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) intestines by using multiple selective media.The selected isolate STE was identified on the basis of its morphological, physiological,and biochemical characteristics as well as molecular analyses. Results of degradation experiments confirmed the ability of the selected isolate to degrade both starch and casein. The isolate STE was aerobic, Gram-negative, rod-shaped, motile and non-spore-forming, and had catalase and oxidase activities but no glucose fermentation activity. Among the tested carbon/nitrogen sources, only Tween40, alanyl-glycine, aspartyl-glycine, and glycyl-l-glutamic acid were utilized by the isolate STE. Results of homology comparison analyses of the 16S rDNA sequences showed that the isolate STE had a high similarity to several Pseudoalteromonas species and, in the phylogenetic tree, grouped with P. ruthenica with maximum bootstrap support (100%). In conclusion, the isolate STE was characterized as a novel strain belonging to the genus Pseudoalteromonas.This study provides a further example of a probiotic bacterial strain with specific characteristics isolated from the host gastrointestinal tract.