A plate assay for simultaneous screening of polysaccharide- and protein-degrading micro-organisms.
OBJECTIVE
To develop a plate assay for simultaneous screening of polysaccharide-degrading and protein-degrading micro-organisms.


RESULTS
A plate assay, based on the visible solubilization of small substrate particles and the formation of haloes on Petri dishes, containing a mixture of diversely coloured insoluble polysaccharides and dye-labelled collagen as chromogenic substrates, was developed. This method was successfully applied for isolating the diverse polysaccharide- and/or protein-degrading bacteria from soil and sludge samples. Selected strains were identified using 16S rDNA partial sequencing; most of them belong to the genera Bacillus, Cellulomonas and Cellulosimicrobium.


CONCLUSIONS
This novel approach provides unique and valuable information for direct primary screening when the target of selection is micro-organisms exhibiting protein-degrading activity, polysaccharide-degrading activity or a specific combination of them.


CONCLUSIONS
This plate assay is convenient and easy to perform, rapid, and more adaptable for screening of a large number of samples, compared with other existing methods in the literature.
Ten
L N
LN
Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Kuseong-Dong, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon, Korea.
Im
W-T
WT
Kim
M-K
MK
Lee
S-T
ST
D000192:Actinomycetales / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D001407:Bacillus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D040143:Cellulomonas / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D002863:Chromogenic Compounds; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000378:metabolism; D003470:Culture Media; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000378:metabolism*; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D012722:Sewage / Q000382:microbiology*; D012988:Soil Microbiology
D002863:Chromogenic Compounds; D004396:Coloring Agents; D003470:Culture Media; D011134:Polysaccharides; D011506:Proteins; D012722:Sewage; D003094:Collagen