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New Extracellular Polymeric Substance Producing Enteric Bacterium from Earthworm, Metaphire posthuma: Modulation Through Culture Conditions

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Abstract

An extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) producing microorganism, identified and characterized as Bacillus licheniformis strain KX657843 based on 16S rRNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis, was isolated from earthworms (Metaphire posthuma). The bacteria was found to be uniquely influenced by the amino acid l-asparagine monohydrate. The organism produced the maximum yield of 2.7 g L−1 EPS in the presence of sucrose supplemented with l-asparagine monohydrate while no EPS was produced in absence of the amino acid. The order of growth and EPS production in presence of different carbon substrates supplemented with l-asparagine monohydrate was observed as sucrose > glucose > glycerol > mannitol > citrate > cellulose > starch. l-asparagine monohydrate could serve as the sole nitrogen source for the organism but it alone cannot satisfy the requisite carbon demand for growth and EPS production. EPS production showed a positive correlation with sucrose concentration but a negative correlation with citrate levels. Analysis of extracted EPS using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and measurement of its zeta potential revealed the chemical composition and anionic nature of the EPS. The bacterium produced 119.235 IU mL−1 extracellular l-asparaginase. This is the first report of an l-asparagine monohydrate dependent EPS producing Bacillus licheniformis from the gut of the earthworm, Metaphire posthuma.

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Acknowledgements

The study was financially supported by Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India in the form of providing INSPIRE Fellowship (Code No.: 1F131101) to Anurupa Banerjee for carrying out research work under the supervision of Dr. Jayanta Kumar Biswas. The Authors duly acknowledge the infrastructural support provided by Department of Ecological Studies, University of Kalyani as well as the facility available under the DST-PURSE programme. SM is thankful to the Fulbright-Nehru Post-Doctoral Fellowship Programme (Award No. 2203/FNPDR/2016) from the United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF). Professor Mary Beth Kirkham, Department of Agronomy, Kansas State University Manhattan, USA made constructive comments on the manuscript and rendered help with its English composition. Authors express their gratitude to Dr. Amit Chowdhury, an earthworm expert for his help in identifying the earthworm species. Authors are also thankful to Mr. Prabuddha Sur, Department of Chemistry, University of Kalyani for helping in the FTIR analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecological Studies, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, Nadia, West Bengal, 741235, India

    Jayanta Kumar Biswas, Anurupa Banerjee & Santanu Majumder

  2. International Centre for Ecological Engineering, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, West Bengal, 741235, India

    Jayanta Kumar Biswas

  3. Department of Geology and Geophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-3115, USA

    Santanu Majumder

  4. Global Centre for Environmental Remediation (GCER), University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia

    Nanthi Bolan & Balaji Seshadri

  5. Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC CARE), ATC Building, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia

    Nanthi Bolan & Balaji Seshadri

  6. Sambalpur University, Jyoti Vihar, Sambalpur, Odisha, 768019, India

    Madhab Chandra Dash

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  1. Jayanta Kumar Biswas
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Correspondence to Jayanta Kumar Biswas.

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Biswas, J.K., Banerjee, A., Majumder, S. et al. New Extracellular Polymeric Substance Producing Enteric Bacterium from Earthworm, Metaphire posthuma: Modulation Through Culture Conditions. Proc Zool Soc 72, 160–170 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12595-017-0250-y

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