title: Functional and molecular characterization of a lipopeptide surfactant from the marine sponge-associated eubacteria Bacillus licheniformis NIOT-AMKV06 of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India.
abstract: The production of a lipopeptide surfactant from the sponge-associated eubacteria Bacillus licheniformis NIOT-AMKV06 from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands was investigated. The highest production was attained with glucose and yeast extracts as the carbon and nitrogen sources (1.789 mg mL(-1)), respectively. The surfactant was highly stable over a pH range of 5.0-10 and a temperature range of 20-70°C with high NaCl concentrations. Excellent emulsification activity was exhibited by the purified surfactant with crude oil, kerosene, and diesel. A two-fold increase in surfactant production (3.0 mg mL(-1)) was observed using the newly formulated medium in this study. The surfactant biosynthesis gene cluster (sfp, sfpO, and srfA) from B. licheniformis NIOT-AMKV06 was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli, and the production was increased three-fold (11.78 g L(-1)) over the original strain. The results confirm the potential of the surfactant for use in bioremediation of hydrocarbons in a marine environment and for enhanced oil recovery. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the ability of a hydrocarbon degrading B. licheniformis from marine sponges for the biosynthesis of a potent lipopeptide surfactant possessing characteristics of maximum stability, outstanding surfactant activity, and exceptional emulsifying capability.
authors.affiliation: Andaman and Nicobar Centre for Ocean Science and Technology, Earth System Sciences Organization-National Institute of Ocean Technology (ESSO-NIOT), Port Blair-744 103, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. Electronic address: anburajanl@yahoo.co.in.
authors.forename: Anburajan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lawrance
authors.affiliation: Andaman and Nicobar Centre for Ocean Science and Technology, Earth System Sciences Organization-National Institute of Ocean Technology (ESSO-NIOT), Port Blair-744 103, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India.
authors.forename: Meena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Balakrishnan
authors.affiliation: Microbiology, Fermentation and Biotechnology Division, Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Ministry of Agriculture (Govt. of India), Cochin 682 029, India.
authors.forename: Toms Cheriath
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Joseph
authors.affiliation: Andaman and Nicobar Centre for Ocean Science and Technology, Earth System Sciences Organization-National Institute of Ocean Technology (ESSO-NIOT), Port Blair-744 103, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India.
authors.forename: Dheenan Palaiya
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Sukumaran
authors.affiliation: Andaman and Nicobar Centre for Ocean Science and Technology, Earth System Sciences Organization-National Institute of Ocean Technology (ESSO-NIOT), Port Blair-744 103, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India.
authors.forename: Vinithkumar Nambali
authors.initials: VN
authors.lastname: Valsalan
authors.affiliation: Marine Biotechnology Group, ESS0-NIOT, Ministry of Earth Sciences (Govt. of India), Chennai 600 100, India.
authors.forename: Dharani
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gopal
authors.affiliation: Marine Biotechnology Group, ESS0-NIOT, Ministry of Earth Sciences (Govt. of India), Chennai 600 100, India.
authors.forename: Kirubagaran
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ramalingam
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001407:Bacillus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D007194:India; D055666:Lipopeptides / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D055666:Lipopeptides; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D013501:Surface-Active Agents
keywords: Andaman and Nicobar Islands; Bacillus licheniformis; Marine sponge; Surfactant; Surfactant biosynthesis genes