Authors : P. Kavitha, A.P. Lipton, A.R. Sarika and M.S. Aishwarya
Abstract: An archeon Haloferax volcanii KPS1 was isolated from Kovalam saltern, Kanyakumari, India. It produced halocin which was active against gram positive and gram negative bacteria viz., Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus mutans, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, respectively. The halobacteria H. sodomens was inhibited to the maximum by the halocin KPS1 of the Haloferax volcanii KPS1. The growth and halocin production was maximized when the organism was grown at a temperature of 40°C at the pH of 7.0 and when supplemented with 25% w/v NaCl to the halophilic broth medium. The results of the stability studies indicated that the halocin KPS1 became thermolabile at the temperature >80°C and was stable over a wide range of pH from 3.0-9.0. A loss of activity of halocin KPS1 was detected when treated with proteolytic enzymes like proteinase K and trypsin indicating the proteinaceous nature of the antibacterial compound. The halocin produced by Haloferax volcanii KPS1 would provide a lead for developing antimicrobial drugs.
P. Kavitha, A.P. Lipton, A.R. Sarika and M.S. Aishwarya, 2011. Growth Characteristics and Halocin Production by a New Isolate, Haloferax volcanii KPS1 from Kovalam Solar Saltern (India). Research Journal of Biological Sciences, 6: 257-262.