[The Black Sea bacteria--producers of hydrolytic enzymes]

Investigation of 15 different glycoside activities of 64 strains isolated from water and invertebra of the Black Sea has shown that 64% of the studied strains displayed the capacity to synthesize enzymes with alpha-L-ramnosidase activity which varied from 0.01 to 0.20 un/ml depending on the strain. The greatest number of the enzyme producers was found in representatives of Alteromonas macleodii. Other investigated glycosidase activities: alpha-amylase, beta-N-acetyl-D-glucosaminidase, beta-D-glucuronide, alpha-N-acetyl-D-galactosaminidase, beta-N-acetyl-D-galactosaminidase, beta-D-galactosidase, alpha-D-galactosidase, beta-D-glucosidase, KM-cellulase activities though have been found, but mainly with inconsiderable indices, alpha-D-glucosidase, alpha-D-mannosidase, alpha-L-fucosidase, beta-D-xylosidase and alpha-D-xylosidase activities were found in neither of the studied strains. Strains with rather high proteolytic activity were found among marine species of bacteria. It has been established that 18 strains (28%) of 64 marine isolates were characterized by rather high level of total proteolytic activity (from 0.1 to 05 un/ml), 43.75% of them displayed inconsiderable (up to 0.1 un/ml) or only trace (up to 0.01 un/ml), 18.75% did not display any hydrolytic activity in respect of casein. Investigation of substrate specificity to a number of fibrillar and globular proteins of 9 studied strains, which displayed considerable general (caseinolytic) activity has shown that 8 of them displayed fibrinolytic activity from 0.15 to 2.175 un/ml. All 9 strains were characterized by gelatin activity. Collagenase and keratinase activity was also revealed. Neither of 9 studied strains displayed elastase activity.