Vol 87, No 1 (2018)

The present study aims at biosynthesizing, characterizing and evaluating the biogenic silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) as antimicrobial and antibiofilm against Kocuria rosea and Kocuria rhizophila. Cellfree supernatant of Proteus mirabilis culture was used for biosynthesizing AgNPs, which confirmed by visualizing color change and X-ray diffraction. Transmission electron microscopy showed the formation of AgNPs in the range of 5–40 nm. ART-FTIR spectra provided evidence for presence of proteins as possible biomolecules responsible for stability of AgNPs and act as capping agent. AgNPs had ability to inhibit growth of K. rosea and K. rhizophila. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC₉₀) of AgNPs against both strains was 25 μg/mL. Antiadhesive effect of AgNPs was verified at sub-MIC₉₀ dose (12.5 μg/mL). The AgNPs concentrations up to 100 μg/mL were not effective for complete removing the already established biofilms with maximum removing percentage of 30.5–34.9%. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated an unprecedented green process for biosynthesizing stable spherical-shaped AgNPs. Early control is suggested by preventing biofilm formation using low AgNPs concentration (12.5 μg/mL) as a potential ingredient for formulating effective chemical sanitizers.

A haloalkaliphilic restricted facultative methylotroph, strain Bur 1, which used methanol, methylated amines, and fructose as carbon and energy sources, was isolated from the soda Lake Khilganta (Buryat Republic, Russia). The cells were gram-negative non-spore-forming, motile rods reproducing by binary fission. The organism was aerobic, reduced nitrates to nitrites. Growth occurred at temperatures from 4 to 37°C (optimum at 25–29°C), pH 7.5–10.5 (optimum at 8.5–9.5), and NaCl concentration in the medium from 0.05 to 10.0% NaCl (optimum at 3–4%). Ectoine, glutamate, and sucrose were accumulated as osmoprotectants. Activity of the enzymes of de novo ectoine biosynthesis were detected. The organism utilized C₁ compounds via the KDPG variant of the ribulose monophosphate pathway. The DNA G + C content was 44.67 mol %. Based on the similarity of the 16S rRNA gene sequences (94.7–99.1%) and the results of DNA–DNA hybridization (24–74%) with type strains of the neutrophilic and alkaliphilic Methylophaga species, the isolate was identified as Methylophaga muralis Bur 1 (VKM B-3046 = DSM 103617). The genome of M. muralis Bur 1 contained 2585 protein-encoding genes; 634 proteins with unidentified functions were predicted. Three rRNAs (5S, 16S, and 23S) and 38 tRNAs were identified. Apart from the mxaFJGIRSACKLDEH classical cluster of methanol oxidation genes, the xoxF gene was found. Methylamine was oxidized to formaldehyde by methylamine dehydrogenase and via the N-methylglutamate pathway. Orthologs of type III glutamine synthetases were revealed in the genome. The operons of ectoine and sucrose biosynthesis, ectRABC-ask and sps-spp-fruK-ams, were found. The genomes of M. muralis Bur 1 and M. lonarensis MPL^T, unlike that of M. nitratireducenticrescens JAM1^T, were found to contain the genes encoding the proteins of bicarbonate transport.

The composition of lipids and fatty acids was studied in the spores of exogenously dormant (spores 0) and germinating (spores G) spores in distilled water for sporangiospores of zygomycetous fungi Cunninghamella echinulata VKM F-663 and Umbelopsis ramanniana VKM F-582 and for conidia of ascomycetous fungi Aspergillus tamarii VKM F-64 and A. sydowii VKM F-441. Compared to spores 0, the lipids of spores G contained higher shares of unsaturated fatty acids, lower levels of massive phospholipids (phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine), and elevated levels of phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidic acid. The level of cardiolipin, the main phospholipid of the mitochondrial membranes, increased when the spores of both zygomycetes exited from the dormant state. While a certain increase in the content of free and esterified sterols in the neutral lipids of the slowly germinating U. ramanniana G spores was observed, germination of sporangiospores and conidia of the studied fungi generally did not result in significant changes in the composition of the neutral lipid classes, which may be due to the fact that they are not the major reserve mobilized at the stage of exit from the dormant state.

The rates of microbial processes and phylogenetic diversity of the microorganisms responsible for organic matter production and decomposition in the benthic communities and bottom sediments of the rivers Solyanka, Lantsug, Khara, Chernavka, and Bol’shaya Smorogda (Lake Elton area, Volgograd oblast, Russia) were studied. The biomass and primary production of cyano–bacterial communities varied significantly within the ranges of 20–903 mg Chl a/m² and 0.2–21 mg C/(m² h), respectively. Depending on the season, the share of anoxygenic CO₂ fixation varied from 20% to the values comparable to the rate of oxygenic photosynthesis. The total heterotrophic activity of microbial communities determined as the rate of dark CO₂ assimilation varied from 31 to 750 μmol/(dm³ day) in the mats and from 3 to 137 μmol/(dm³ day) in the sediments. The rates of sulfate reduction and hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis varied from 10 to 2621 μmol S/dm³ day) and from 1.5 to 323 nmol CH₄/(dm³ day), respectively. High-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA genes in cyano–bacterial mats revealed microorganisms belonging to 20 phyla, with the sequences of Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes being the most numerous.

The structure and functional activity of microbial complexes of a forest oligo-mesotrophic subshrub- grass-moss bog (OMB, Central Evenkiya) and a subshrub-sedge bog in the polygonal tundra (PB, Lena River Delta Samoylovsky Island) was studied. Soil of the forest bog (OMB) differed from that of the polygonal tundra bog (PB) in higher productivity (C_org, N_total, P, and K reserves), higher biomass of aerobic chemoorganotrophs (2.0 to 2.6 times), and twice the level of available organic matter. The contribution of microorganisms to the carbon pool was different, with the share of C_mic in C_org 1.4 to 2.5 times higher in PB compared to OMB. Qualitative composition of the methane cycle microorganisms in PB and OMB soils differed significantly. Methanogenic archaea (Euryarchaeota) in the shrub-sedge PB of tundra were more numerous and diverse than in the oligo-mesotrophic bog (OMB) and belonged to six families (Methanomassiliicoccaceae, Methanoregulaceae, Methanobacteriaceae, Methanomicrobiaceaee, Methanosarcinaceae, and Methanotrichaceae), while members of only four families (Methanosarcinacea, Methanobacteriaceae, Methanotrichaceae, and Methanomassiliicoccaceae) were revealed in OMB. In both bogs, methane-oxidizing bacteria belonged to Alphaproteobacteria (II) and Gammaproteobacteria (I). Methanotroph diversity was higher in OMB than in PB. Microbial communities of PB soils had higher potential activity of methanogenesis and methanotrophy compared to those of OMB. Methanogenic and methanotrophic activities in PB were 20 and 2.3 times higher, respectively, than in OMB.

The gut is a source of lactic acid bacteria with remarkable functional and technologies properties as well as a potential source of probiotics. In the present study, 13 strains of Lactobacillus were isolated from poultry intestine and identified according to their 16S rDNA sequences, as well as the evaluation of their probiotic potential. The probiotic properties were tested in aspects of antibiotic susceptibility, antimicrobial activity, exopolysaccharide production, lysozyme tolerance, gut condition tolerance (low pH, bile salt tolerance) and adhesion to human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line (Caco-2). Most isolates were resistance to streptomycin (10 μg/mL), gentamicin (10 μg/mL), kanamycin (30 μg/mL), penicillin (10 μg/mL) and chloramphenicol (30 μg/mL). Isolates shows strong abilities to adhere to Caco-2 cell in the range of (76 to 85%). Isolates SHA101 to SHA113 showed high survival rate under gastrointestinal tract condition (>80%), indicating their potential in application of probiotics. The results of these tests indicate that the lactic acid bacteria isolated from poultry intestine have potential use as probiotic in various products.

This is the first report on depicting the pioneering microbiota of Unnai hot spring using shotgun metagenome sequencing approach. Community analysis encompassed a total of 688,059 sequences with the total size 125.31 Mbp and 46% G + C content. Sequencing metagenome reported about 992 species belonged to 40 different phyla dominated by Firmicutes (97.49%), Proteobacteria (1.36%), and Actinobacteria (0.31%). In functional analysis, Non-Supervised Orthologous Groups (NOG) annotation revealed the predominance of poorly characterized reads (82.79%). Moreover, the subsystem classification displayed 19% genes assigned to carbohydrates metabolism, 12% genes allocated to clustering-based subsystems, 10% genes belonged to amino acids and its derivatives. The result suggests the huge bacterial diversity which will be useful for further characterizing the economically important bacteria for biotechnological applications.