1Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
2Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biotechnology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 14155-6451, Tehran, 14176, Iran
3Department of Drug and Food Control, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
4Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
The objective of this study was to isolate halophilic bacteria with the ability to produce intracellular or extracellular L-asparaginase. A total number of 120 halophilic bacteria were isolated from 17 different saline habitats of Iran including salt lakes, wetlands, brine springs and deserts. Among these, 68 were able to grow in the presence of 1.5 M NaCl and 52 demonstrated the ability to grow in the selection medium containing 3.5 M NaCl. None of the isolates appeared to produce appreciable amounts of extracellular L-asparaginase. Among the isolates that produced intracellular L-asparaginase, 5 moderate and 1 extreme halophiles were selected for further study based on their observed activity level. The moderately halophilic isolates were shown to belong to the genus Halomonas while the extreme halophile was identified as a member of the genus Aidingimonas.
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