Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 32-34. (2014)
Zoology
A NOVEL HALOPHILIC ARCHAEON OF HALOFERAX GENUS ISOLATED FROM TELEGA (PRAHOVA COUNTY, ROMANIA) ROCK SALT CRYSTALS Mädälin ENACHE, Rázván FILIMON Institute of Biology Bucharest of the Romanian Academy, 296 Spaliul Independence!, 060031 Bucharest, 6th district, 56—53 P.O. Box, Romania, e-mail: madalin.enache@ibiol.ro Abstract: This study reports a combined molecular and biochemical characterization of a novel haloarchaeon isolated from rock salt crystal extracted from Telega salt deposit (Prahova County), Romania. The isolated strain belongs to Haloferax genus. The strain is a Gram negative rod, and lyses when placed in distilled water or culture medium in the absence of sodium chloride. Colonies grown on JCM 168 culture medium are circular, red-orange, smooth, with elevated surface, and right margins. In addition, this halophile is able to grow in a sodium chloride concentration range of 2 to 5.2 M, with an optimum of 2—4 M salt. The strain grows on media supplemented with magnesium chloride up to 1 M, with optimum growth at 0.7-0.8 M MgCl2, in the presence of 2 M NaCl. The optimum growth temperature and pH are 38°C and pH 7.5, respectively. Also, the strain is catalase and oxidase positive, and capable to synthesize indol from tryptophan and H2S from sodium thiosulphate. The strain showed no anaerobic growth, and the nitrate reduction reactions to nitrite and nitrogen contained gases were also absent. Furthermore, this archaeaon cannot hydrolyze starch, casein, Tween80 or gelatin. The strain was sensitive to sodium deoxycholate and resistant to chloramphenicol, novobiocin, bacitracin, eritrhromicin, penicillin, ampicilin and neomycin. The membrane lipid profile contains PGP-Me, PG, PA, S-DGA-1, DGA-1. Keywords: Haloferax, halophilic microorganisms, salt lakes, rock salt, haloarchaea, Telega Introduction Saline environments such as salt lakes, subterranean salt crystals, salted soil and brines, are characterized by a high content in NaCl and, thus, offer conditions for growth, multiplication or conservation in dormancy of halophilic microorganisms. These microorganisms pertain to Bacteria and Archaea domains. In addition, the presence of fungi or other eukaryotic microorganisms such as brine shrimp Artemia salina (Linnaeus, 1758), brine fly Ephydra, photosynthetic flagellates from Dunaliella, Asteromonas, Synechococcus genera, contribute to the biodiversity of these environments. In order to survive in severe conditions of salted environments, halophilic microorganisms used salt-in (archaea) or compatible solutes (bacteria) strategies [15]. Saline environments, such as salt mines and salt lakes formed at the entrance of former salt mines, are widespread in the Romanian Carpathians’ area [7]. Previous studies [6] lead to isolation of members belonging to Haloferax and Haloarcula genera from these environments, and to the identification of the new species Haloferaxprahovense, from Telega (Palada) salt lake. Telega village is located in the vicinity of Campina town, in the western part of Prahova County, in a hillock of M A R I S I A, XXXIII-XXXIV, p. 111-116
