title: Characterization of a new keratin-degrading bacterium isolated from deer fur.
abstract: A keratin-degrading bacterium was isolated from soil containing deer fur. An axenic culture of the keratin-degrading bacterium was obtained in liquid culture using a keratin enrichment technique. The isolated bacterium was gram negative and catalase- and oxidase-positive. Transmission electron microscopic observations showed that the bacterium was rod-shaped, 1.0-1.3 microm long and 0.7 microm in diameter. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA revealed that the new isolate has only 90.6% homology with Stenotrophomonas nitritireducens. Hence, this new bacterium was designated as Stenotrophomonas sp. D-1. The optimum temperature was determined to be 20 degrees C for maximum growth and keratinolytic enzyme production. Amino acid data, obtained after treating keratin powder with the supernatant culture, suggest that the major free amino acids resulting from keratin degradation are phenylalanine, tyrosine and valine. In addition, native chicken feather was degraded completely at 20 degrees C in 2.5 d by this bacterium.
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Tatsunokuchi, Ishikawa 923-1292, Japan.
authors.forename: Shohei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamamura
authors.forename: Yasutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.forename: Quamrul
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Hasan
authors.forename: Sathuluri Ramachandra
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
authors.forename: Eiichi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tamiya