Current Science

Rahul C. Salunkhe ¹, Dhiraj P. Dhotre ², Bipinchandra K. Salunke ¹, Vikas S. Patil ², Vaibhav Mahale ¹, Raymond J. Andrew ³, Milind S. Patole ¹, Ketan P. Narkhede ⁴, Yogesh S. Shouche ²

Affiliations
1 National Centre for Cell Science, University of Pune Campus, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411 007, IN
2 Microbial Culture Collection, National Centre for Cell Science, University of Pune Campus, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411 007, IN
3 Department of Zoology, Hislop College, Nagpur 440 001, IN
4 Department of Microbiology, Moolji Jaitha College, Jalgaon 425 002, IN

Abstract

Wolbachia are maternally inherited bacterial endo-symbionts of arthropods distributed among a wide range of hosts. It is now well known that they induce reproductive manipulations in their arthropod hosts by various phenotypic effects. The objective of the present study was to investigate Wolbachia infection among the insect order Odonata comprising 16 species from 5 families. Fifteen odonate species representing five families were found to harbour Wolbachia with the overall infection rate of 70%, out of which four-teen species are reported for the first time. According to multilocus sequence typing (MLST) data and phylo-genetic analysis, all odonate Wolbachia species belong to supergroup F, except Trithemis pallindinervis, which belongs to supergroup B. MLST data reveal 20 new, highly similar STs (99.32  0.34). We found a high rate of Wolbachia infection in Odonata of India, which indicates importance of this association. The charac-terization of these Wolbachia strains promises to lead to a deeper insight into this interaction, which is essential for further studies based on their phenotypic effects. The study suggests that all the characterized Wolbachia STs are totally new and arise as a result of point mutation.

Keywords

Multilocus Sequence Typing, Phenotypic Effects, Point Mutations.

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Rohit Sharma ¹, Ashish V. Polkade ¹, Yogesh S. Shouche ¹

Affiliations
1 Microbial Culture Collection, National Centre for Cell Science, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411 007, IN

Abstract

Species is the basic unit of identification of a large diversity of organisms. The concept of species is old and has undergone several changes depending on the kind of organism(s). Earlier concepts were formulated considering mostly macroorganisms (plants or animals). In 21st century the microbial species concept took shape which changed from morphological, ecological, biological and phylogenetic to more agreeable polyphasic species concept. Polyphasic species concept involves a combination of characters such as morphology, physiology, biochemical markers and sequencing of various regions of the DNA known as molecular markers. There are also specific criteria such as DNA-DNA hybridization for complex genera of Bacteria and Archaea, extrolite profiling for complex genera of fungi, etc. Although species concept and taxonomy of Bacteria are more systematic than fungi, taxonomy in two domains (bacteria, archaea) and fungi of eukarya domain is undergoing changes. The time is not far when genome sequencing will be considered as another criterion for delineating species. This article also discusses the role of various techniques (MALDI, FAME, etc.) in species identification. The concept of Candidatus species and species annotation for metagenomic studies is also discussed. We briefly describe the criteria used to delineate species in various microbes and the need for different species concepts based on the kind of organism.

Keywords

Archaea, Bacteria, Fungi, Species Concept, Taxonomy and Systematics.

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Swapnil Sopan Gaikwad ¹, Hitendra Munot ¹, Yogesh S. Shouche ¹

Affiliations
1 Microbial Culture Collection, First Floor, Central Tower, Sai Trinity Building, Garware Circle, Sutarwadi, Pashan, Pune 411 021, IN

Abstract

No Abstract.

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Md. Imran ¹, Bhukya Saida ², Sanjeev C. Ghadi ³, Pankaj Verma ⁴, Yogesh S. Shouche ⁴

Affiliations
1 Department of Biotechnology, Goa University, Taleigao Plateau, Goa 403 206, IN
2 National Institute of Immunology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110 067, IN
3 Department of Biotechnology, Goa University, Taleigao Plateau, Goa 403 206,, IN
4 National Centre for Cell Sciences, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411 007, IN

Abstract

Pila globosa, an edible variety of apple snail is a common inhabitant of lentic ecosystem and feeds on plant detritus. The tissue extract of gastrointestinal tract from Pila globosa demonstrated the presence of carboxymethyl cellulase, xylanase, alginate lyase and pectinase activity. Culture-dependent method was used to isolate carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) degrading bacteria from the gastrointestinal tract of apple snail. Morphologically identical colonies were obtained on M9 gelrite plates containing CMC as carbon source. One such bacterial isolate was purified by streaking and designated as strain PG-1. Bacterial strain PG-1 degraded CMC, pectin, starch and alginate. The 16S rDNA sequence of strain PG1 was 99% identical to Klebsiella oxytoca. Phylogenetic analysis using maximum likelihood revealed the clustering of strain PG1 with the clade belonging to Klebsiella oxytoca type strain.

Keywords

Apple Snail, Klebsiella, Pila globosa, Polysaccharide Degrading Bacteria.

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Vikas C. Ghattargi ¹, Mangesh V. Suryavanshi ¹, Swapnil Kalam ¹, Yogesh S. Shouche ¹, Bharati S. Meti ²

Affiliations
1 National Centre for Microbial Resource, National Centre for Cell Science, Central Tower, Pashan, Pune 411 021, IN
2 Department of Bio-Technology, Basaveshwar Engineering College, Bagalkot 587 102, IN

Abstract

Consumption of probiotics is evidently on the rise globally because of their various health benefits on human beings. The search for novel probiotics with diverse properties is the necessity of time. Properties of camel milk were first mentioned in the ‘Words of The Prophet Mohammed’ in the Surah, a section of the Koran (volume 7, book 71, number 5909).

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Vikas C. Ghattargi ¹, Mani Garg ¹, Sudeeksha Raina ¹, Jovita D. Silva ¹, Shrikant P. Pawar ¹, Praveen Rahi ¹, Yogesh S. Shouche ¹

Affiliations
1 National Centre for Microbial Resource, National Centre for Cell Science, Pune 411 007, IN

Abstract

Globally dust storms have greatly affected air quality, and nearly 5.0 billion tonnes of dust undergoes migra-tion every year. A plethora of microorganisms spread far and wide along with the dust particles during dust storms. In April 2015, a dust storm originated from the Middle East and travelled to many Indian cities. We analysed the impact of the dust storm on the diversity and composition of aerial microorganisms using cultivation-based methods. Sampling was done in three cities (Mumbai, Lonavala and Pune) during a dust storm day (DSD) and a post-dust storm day (PSD). A total of 580 morphologically different bacte-ria and then ten mycelial fungi were isolated during the study. Identification based on MALDI-TOF MS biotyping, sequencing of 16S rRNA gene and ITS region revealed that the bacterial isolates belonged to 32 different genera and fungi to four different genera. Principal coordinate analysis exhibited separate grouping of DSD and PSD samples, indicating the shift in microbial communities. Osmotolerant and halotolerant bacterial genera, viz. Psychrobacter and Exiguobacterium were recorded specifically during DSD. The proportion of opportunistic pathogens, including Staphylococcus and Enterobacter was high during DSD in comparison to PSD. Overall, the study reveals the influence of dust storms on the aerial microbial composition and indicates the possible spread of specific microbial species during a dust storm event.

Keywords

Airborne, Dust Storm, High-Throughput Cultivation, Microorganisms, Mass Spectroscopy.

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Om Prakash ¹, Avinash Sharma ¹, Yogesh S. Shouche ¹

Affiliations
1 National Centre for Microbial Resource, National Centre for Cell Science, Pune 411 007, IN

Abstract

Microbes are providers of raw materials for green, red, blue and white or grey biotechnology. Recent data from DNA-based culture-independent research revealed that huge microbial diversity of immense biotechnological potential is not yet cultured. Cultivation, characterization and biobanking of microbial resources are imperative for academic as well as industrial growth of any nation. Establishment of a quality Microbial Resource Centre (MRC) with state-of-theart facilities and competent faculties is a prerequisite to safeguard microbial biodiversity for future bioeconomy. This article discusses how the vision and visibility of MRCs will help in their long-term sustainability and revenue generation respectively, for the benefit of the research community.

Keywords

Biodiversity, Bioeconomy, Microbes, Microbial Resource Centre.

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