Hydrocarbon degradation and protease production by Nocardiopsis sp. NCIM 5124

An actinomycete isolated from an oil-contaminated marine environment and identified as Nocardiopsis sp. degraded hydrocarbons and also produced extracellular protease. Conditions for crude oil degradation and simultaneous production of extracellular protease were studied. An alternative approach for bio-augmented clean-up of oil spills using a micro-organism capable of degrading hydrocarbons and recruiting organic nitrogen by producing proteases is reported.