title: Isolation of a thermotolerant bacterium producing medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoate.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to isolate a thermotolerant micro-organism that produces polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) composed of medium-chain-length (mcl) HA units from a biodiesel fuel (BDF) by-product as a carbon source.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We successfully isolated a thermotolerant micro-organism, strain SG4502, capable to accumulate mcl-PHA from a BDF by-product as a carbon source at a cultivation temperature of 45°C. The strain could also produce mcl-PHA from acetate, octanoate and dodecanoate as sole carbon sources at cultivation temperatures up to 55°C. Taxonomic studies and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that strain SG4502 was phylogenetically affiliated with species of the genus Pseudomonas. This study is the first report of PHA synthesis by a thermotolerant Pseudomonas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A novel thermotolerant bacterium capable to accumulate mcl-PHA from a BDF by-product was successfully isolated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A major issue regarding industrial production of microbial PHAs is their much higher production cost compared with conventional petrochemical-based plastic materials. Especially significant are the cost of a fermentative substrate and the running cost to maintain a temperature suitable for microbial growth. Thus, strain SG4502, isolated in this study, which assimilates BDF by-product and produces PHA at high temperature, would be very useful for practical application in industry.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biotechnology and Macromolecular Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan. syasu@eng.hokudai.ac.jp
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Satoh
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tajima
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakamoto
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xuerong
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsushima
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohshima
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kawano
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Erata
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dairi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Munekata
mesh_terms: D056804:Biofuels; D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D006358:Hot Temperature; D007218:Industrial Microbiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D054813:Polyhydroxyalkanoates / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D011549:Pseudomonas / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism*; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D054813:Polyhydroxyalkanoates; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D002244:Carbon