ISOLATION OF HALOBACILLUS TRUEPERI DS-1 A SIDEROPHORE PRODUCING HALOPHILIC BACTERIUM

To sequester and solubilize ferric iron many microorganisms utilize an efficient system consisting of compounds with high iron affinity, called siderophores. By considering the importance of the metabolites produced by halophilic microorganisms and their biotechnological applications, the aim of this study was the isolation of siderophore producing halophilic bacteria from agricultural soils of Eshtehard Karaj region of Iran. Initial isolation of soil bacteria using serial dilutions was performed, followed by separation of halophilic bacteria from halotolerant ones, which resulted in seven isolates. Production of siderophores was measured using universal tests including O-CAS plates and CAS assay solution. By exploiting the CAS solution methods, six siderophore producing halophilic isolates were identified, among which strain DS-1, with the highest siderophore production was selected. Specific tests were performed for identifying the chemical nature of siderophore and the final result of molecular analysis of 16S rRNA gene confirmed that foregoing halophile isolate belonged to Halobacillus genus with 99.8% similarity to H. trueperi DSM 10404T.

halophilic bacteria, hydroxamate siderophore, O-CAS