ACTINOBACTERIA ISOLATED FROM ALGERIAN HOT SPRING WATERS: A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF IMPORTANT ENZYMESMeissa Medjemadj, Juan-José Escuder-Rodríguez, Allaoueddine Boudemagh and María-Isabel González-SisoAbstract The presence of Actinobacteria in Algerian hot springs was proved for the first time in this work. From water samples, 23 morphologically distinct strains were isolated and successfully identified. 16S rRNA sequence analysis showed that the isolates were represented in the families Streptomycetaceae, Nocardiaceae and Microbacteriaceae, the majority being affiliated to the genus Streptomyces. Four isolates were characterized in depth (chemotaxonomy, spore morphology, pH and temperature tolerance, G + C content) and proved to produce enzymes with biotechnological interest (cellulase, xylanase, lipase and protease). The success of isolation in relation to the temperature and the chemical characteristics of these waters is also discussed, where the highest temperature hot spring yielded no Actinobacteria, whereas ferruginous calcic carbonate hot springs yielded the most. |