title: Biosynthesis and characterization of polyhydroxyalkanoates produced by an extreme halophilic bacterium, Halomonas nitroreducens, isolated from hypersaline ponds.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Morphological, biochemical and genotypic characterization of a halophilic bacterium isolated from hypersaline ponds located at Las Coloradas (Río Lagartos, Yucatán, Mexico). Characterization of polymer produced by this strain was also performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty strains were isolated from water samples of salt ponds and selected based on both morphological features and their PHA storage capacity, which were determined by SEM and staining methods with Nile red and Nile blue, respectively; strains were also analysed by the fluorescence imaging technique. Among them, JCCOL25.8 strain showed the highest production of PHA's reason why phenotypic and genotypic characterization was performed; this strain was identified as Halomonas nitroreducens. Polymer produced by this strain was characterized by FTIR, DSC, GPC and EDX spectroscopy. Results indicated that the biosynthesized polymer was polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) which had a melting peak at 170°C and a crystallinity percentage of about 36%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on phenotypic and genotypic aspects, JCCOL25.8 strain was identified as H. nitroreducens and it was capable to accumulate PHB.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To our knowledge, there is only one study published on the biosynthesis of PHA's by H. nitroreducens strains, although the characterization of the obtained polymer was not reported.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, A.C., Unidad de Materiales, Mérida, Yucatán, México.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Cervantes-Uc
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Catzin
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Vargas
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Herrera-Kao
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Moguel
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ramirez
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rincón-Arriaga
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lizama-Uc
mesh_terms: D063566:Biodegradable Plastics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020632:Halomonas / Q000145:classification* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008800:Mexico; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D054813:Polyhydroxyalkanoates / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D061005:Ponds / Q000382:microbiology*; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D063566:Biodegradable Plastics; D054813:Polyhydroxyalkanoates; D012965:Sodium Chloride
keywords: DSC; FTIR; Halomonas nitroreducens; halophilic; polyhydroxyalkanoates