Department of Antarctic Biology, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences Pawińskiego 5A, 02-106 Warszawa, Poland.
Laboratory of DNA Sequencing and Oligonucleotide Synthesis, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pawińskiego 5A, 02-106 Warszawa, Poland.
Genes (Basel). 2020 Jul 31;11(8):873. doi: 10.3390/genes11080873.
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), the intracellular polymers produced by various microorganisms as carbon and energy storage, are of great technological potential as biodegradable versions of common plastics. PHA-producing microbes are therefore in great demand and a plethora of different environments, especially extreme habitats, have been probed for the presence of PHA-accumulators. However, the polar region has been neglected in this regard, probably due to the low accessibility of the sampling material and unusual cultivation regime. Here, we present the results of a screening procedure involving 200 bacterial strains isolated from 25 habitats of both polar regions. Agar-based tests, microscopy, and genetic methods were conducted to elucidate the biodiversity and potential of polar-region PHA-accumulators. Microscopic observation of Nile Red stained cells proved to be the most reliable screening method as it allowed to confirm the characteristic bright orange glow of the Nile Red-PHA complex as well as the typical morphology of the PHA inclusions. Psychrophilic PHA-producers belonged mostly to the family (Betaproteobacteria) although actinobacterial PHA synthesizers of the families, and also featured prominently. Glacial and postglacial habitats as well as developed polar region soils, were evaluated as promising for PHA-producer bioprospection. This study highlights the importance of psychrophiles as biodiverse and potent polyhydroxyalkanoate sources for scientific and application-aimed research.
聚羟基脂肪酸酯（PHAs）是各种微生物作为碳和能量储存而产生的细胞内聚合物，作为常见塑料的可生物降解版本具有巨大的技术潜力。因此，PHA 产生微生物的需求量很大，人们对大量不同的环境，特别是极端栖息地，进行了探测，以寻找 PHA 积累者。然而，在这方面，极地地区被忽视了，这可能是由于采样材料的低可及性和不寻常的培养方式。在这里，我们介绍了一项筛选程序的结果，该程序涉及从两个极地地区的 25 个栖息地分离的 200 株细菌菌株。通过琼脂基测试、显微镜和遗传方法来阐明极地地区 PHA 积累者的生物多样性和潜力。用尼罗红染色细胞的显微镜观察被证明是最可靠的筛选方法，因为它可以确认尼罗红-PHA 复合物的特征性亮橙色发光以及 PHA 内含物的典型形态。嗜冷 PHA 生产者主要属于 科（β变形菌），尽管 科（放线菌）和 科（酸杆菌）的细菌 PHA 合成器也很突出。冰川和冰后期生境以及发达的极地土壤被评估为有希望进行 PHA 生产者生物勘探。本研究强调了嗜冷菌作为具有生物多样性和潜在能力的聚羟基脂肪酸酯来源，对科学和应用为导向的研究具有重要意义。
