ISOLATION AND PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS OF MARINE GAMMAPROTEOBACTERIA HALOMONAS ALKALIPHILA FROM RATNAGIRI COAST, INDIA

Abstract

Halomonas are extremophile organisms which possess the ability to thrive in high alkaline environments. They are one of the most biotechnologically active bacteria due to their molecular adaptability. There are many species of Halomonas identified from India but their source is restricted to only alkaline saltwater lakes or lake sediments. Current study aims at identifying Halomonas from marine water. The marine water sample was collected post-monsoon and subjected to screening and species isolation on Mannitol salt agar. The isolated species was analyzed for gram-staining and various biochemical testings; which confirmed the species belonged to genus Halomonas. Further 16s rRNA molecular identification confirmed the species to be Halomonas alkaliphila. Genetic distance values (Kimura-2-Parameter (K2P)) model was estimated and the phylogenetic tree was constructed using Neighbour-Joining (NJ) algorithm to aid identification. This study forms the basis for future analysis to investigate the phylogenetic diversity of bacteria between inland isolates of H. alkaliphila and marine isolates identified in India and elucidate its biotechnological potential.