Diversity of actinomycetes isolated from subseafloor sediments after prolonged low-temperature storage

Subseafloor sediments present an untapped source of novel bacterial species with industrially important bioactivities. Subseafloor core samples collected during the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expeditions 315, 316, and 331 and stored in Kochi Core Center at -80 °C for 1 to 4 years were used for cultivation-based study of viable actinomycetes. In total, more than 100 actinomycete-like colonies were isolated from two deep-frozen subseafloor sediment samples. Isolated actinomycetes showed close similarity to known Actinotalea, Dietzia, Gordonia, Isoptericola, Microbacterium, Nocardia, Rhodococcus, Pseudonocardia, Streptomyces, and Tsukamurella species and were halotolerant. Bioactivity assays revealed that two of the isolates were producing potent antibacterial compound(s) and one isolate was having antifungal activity. Our study demonstrated that deep-frozen subseafloor core samples could be a potential source of viable actinomycetes, which may be used in drug discovery.