title: Isolation and characterization of a novel organic solvent-tolerant Anoxybacillus sp. PGDY12, a thermophilic Gram-positive bacterium.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To isolate and characterize new bacteria capable of tolerating high concentrations of organic solvents at high temperature.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A solvent-tolerant, thermophilic bacterium was isolated from hot spring samples at 55°C. The strain PGDY12 was characterized as a Gram-positive bacterium. It was able to tolerate 100% solvents, such as toluene, benzene and p-xylene on plate overlay and high concentrations of these solvents in liquid cultures. A comparison of growth showed that 0·2% (v/v) benzene and 0·15% (v/v) p-xylene were capable of enhancing the final cell yields. Transmission electron micrographs showed the incrassation of electron-transparent intracellular material and the distorted cytoplasm in case of the cells grown in toluene. A phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA sequence data indicated that the strain PGDY12 was member of the genus Anoxybacillus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The thermophilic, Gram-positive Anoxybacillus sp. PGDY12 exhibited a unique and remarkable ability to tolerate solvents at 55°C.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The solvent tolerance properties are less known in thermophilic bacteria. The Anoxybacillus sp. PGDY12 is the first strictly thermophilic bacterium able to tolerate a broad range of solvents. This strain is a promising candidate for use as a high temperature biocatalyst in the biotechnological applications.
authors.affiliation: Anhui Key Laboratory of Eco-engineering and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Anhui, China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D058677:Anoxybacillus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D045482:Hot Springs / Q000382:microbiology; D050296:Microbial Viability; D010802:Phylogeny; D012997:Solvents / Q000633:toxicity*; D014050:Toluene / Q000633:toxicity; D014992:Xylenes / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D012997:Solvents; D014992:Xylenes; D014050:Toluene