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Updated: Sep 20, 2025

Isolation, Propagation, and Identification of Bacterial Species with Hydrocarbon Metabolizing Properties from Aquatic Habitats
Published on: December 7, 2021
Isolation, Diversity and Characterization of Ulvan-Degrading Bacteria Isolated from Marine Environments
Reiji Tanaka1,2, Yu Kurishiba1, Hideo Miyake1,2
1Graduate School of Bioresource, Mie University, 1577 Kurimamachiya-cho, Tsu 514-8507, Mie, Japan.
Abstract:
In this study, we aimed to isolate bacteria capable of degrading the polysaccharide ulvan from the green algae Ulva sp. (Chlorophyta, Ulvales, Ulvaceae) in marine environments. We isolated 13 ulvan-degrading bacteria and observed high diversity at the genus level. Further, the genera Paraglaciecola, Vibrio, Echinicola, and Algibacter, which can degrade ulvan, were successfully isolated for the first time from marine environments. Among the 13 isolates, only one isolate (Echinicola sp.) showed the ability not only to produce externally expressed ulvan lyase, but also to be periplasmic or on the cell surface. From the results of the full-genome analysis, lyase was presumed to be a member of the PL25 (BNR4) family of ulvan lyases, and the bacterium also contained the sequence for glycoside hydrolase (GH43, GH78 and GH88), which is characteristic of other ulvan-degrading bacteria. Notably, this bacterium has a unique ulvan lyase gene not previously reported.
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