Identification of Alkaliphilic Bacillus Species Isolated from Lake Van and Its Surroundings by Computerized Analysis of Extracellular Protein Profiles

Authors: İSMET BERBER, ELÇİN YENİDÜNYA

Abstract: Five reference Bacillus species and 17 native alkaliphilic Bacillus strains, isolated from the water of Lake Van and the soil surrounding it, were identified using phenotypic characteristics and extracellular protein profiles by the method of sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). According to the phenotypic characteristics, all the native isolates were Gram-positive, aerobic, endospore-forming, motile, facultatively alkaliphilic Bacillus spp. It was also found that the native alkaliphilic Bacillus isolates were distinguished phenotypically from other Bacillus species. A numerical analysis based on the resulting extracellular protein profiles revealed 5 distinct clusters: native isolates and B. megaterium formed 4 clusters that varied between 69% and 100% similarity, and the other reference Bacillus species formed a cluster with a similarity of above 70%. The research showed that extracellular protein profiles obtained by SDS-PAGE provide an effective approach to the investigation of taxonomic relationships within native alkaliphilic Bacillus isolates and other Bacillus species.

Keywords: Lake Van, identification, facultatively alkaliphilic Bacillus spp., phenotypic characterization, SDS-PAGE

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