Abstract

SELECTIVE ISOLATION AND MOLECULAR IDENTIFICATION OF L-ARGINASE PRODUCING BACTERIA FROM MARINE SEDIMENTS.

Rahamat Unissa*, M. Sudhakar and A. Sunil Kumar Reddy

ABSTRACT

L-Arginase (EC 3.5.3.1) is a therapeutic enzyme that catalyzes the irreversible hydrolysis of L-arginine to l-ornithine and urea .It is widely expressed in bacteria, fungi, yeast, actinomycetes, algae and plants etc. It has gained importance due to its potential application as anti-cancer agent against wide range of tumour cells. With an aim to isolate a potential L-arginase producing strain, marine soil and water samples were collected from different places of chirala beach of Andhra Pradesh, India. Semi quantitative screening was done by using mineral arginine agar medium. Further the activity was confirmed by estimating the levels of urea calorimetrically. Among the 35 strains isolated, 15 were found positive out of which , one of the potent isolate was selected and identified. The morphological and biochemical characterization revealed that the potent isolate belongs to the genus Idiomarina. Further, 16s rRNA gene of the potent isolate was amplified and analyzed which showed that it had about 99% similarity with Idiomarina sp. Idiomarina sediminum (T); c121; (Gene Bank accession no. EF212001) and the next homologue was Idiomarina sediminum; H1695; (Gene Bank accession no. JF346667). Thus, the strain was ultimately identified as Idiomarina sediminum; H1695; (Gene Bank Accession Number JF346667).

Keywords: L-Arginase, Molecular analysis, Idiomarina sediminum; H1695.