ANU SHREE, SMITA CHAUDHRY AND RAJESH P. RASTOGI*
Institute of Environmental Studies, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra-136 119 (Haryana), India
Presently : Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Indira Pariyavaran Bhavan, Jor Bagh Road,
New Delhi-110 003, India
*(e-mail: raj_rastogi@rediffmail.com; Mobile : 95866 97525)
(Received: November 25, 2022; Accepted : January 2, 2023)
ABSTRACT
The mat forming microbial communities are shaped by the presence of certain dominant species of cyanobacterium. In the present study, a filamentous cyanobacterial strain was isolated from the moist surface of a wall. Molecular characterization of the isolated cyanobacterium using the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene (1397 bp) sequencing followed by phylogenetic analysis showed that the strain represented a member of the cyanobacterial genus Microcoleus from the order Oscillatoriales. The morphology of the cyanobacterium Microcoleus sp. strain RSA1 was determined using a light and fluorescence microscopy. Furthermore, growth and biochemical characterization of the isolated cyanobacterium were also performed to investigate the growth kinetics and occurrence of certain cellular pigments such as carotenoid and phycobiliprotein. Significant increase in growth was marked after 12 h up to 72 h. There was 2-3 fold increase in chlorophyll (chl-a) content after 24 h of growth. Results revealed that the isolated Microcoleus sp. produced significant amount of carotenoid (0.24 mg/g DW), and phycobiliproteins such as phycocyanin (6 mg/g DW) and phycoerythrin (14 mg/gDW). The results indicated that the isolated cyanobacterial strains may be explored as a viable candidate for the industrial production of value-added biomolecules.
Key words : Cyanobacteria, Microcoleus sp., microbial mat, phycobiliprotein, carotenoid