Screening of bacterial associates of marine sponges for single cell oil and PUFA.
OBJECTIVE
To screen bacterial associates from marine sponges for single cell oil (SCO)/polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) production.


RESULTS
Using Sudan black 'B' staining technique the bacterial associates were screened for cellular lipid accumulation, effect of culture media, incubation period and C : N ratio. Extraction of the bacterial lipids was carried out by Floch's method and fatty acid methyl esters were analysed by GC and GC/MS. Four bacterial associates of 50 isolated from eight marine sponges tested positive for lipid accumulation. Two bacterial associates, viz. Bacillus subtilis (RRL-8) from Aurora globostellata and Pseudomonas spp. (RRL-28) from Heteronema erecta were found to produce total lipids 16.9 and 31.7%, respectively, of their dry biomass.


CONCLUSIONS
Increase in C:N ratio significantly improved lipid production to 33.4 and 42.7%. Both the isolates produced gamma-linolenic acid (18:3 omega6; 4.5 and 1.12% respectively), whereas B. subtilis showed 3.8% of eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5 omega3) along with branched chain fatty acids.


CONCLUSIONS
This is the first report of oleaginous bacterial associates from marine sponges.
Patnayak
S
S
Natural Products Department, Regional Research Laboratory, Bhubaneswar, India.
Sree
A
A
D000818:Animals; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D002244:Carbon; D003470:Culture Media; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008055:Lipids / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008386:Marine Biology; D009584:Nitrogen; D011161:Porifera / Q000382:microbiology*; D011549:Pseudomonas / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors; D017965:gamma-Linolenic Acid / Q000096:biosynthesis
D003470:Culture Media; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D008055:Lipids; D002244:Carbon; D017965:gamma-Linolenic Acid; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid; D009584:Nitrogen